Purge
by FicsRLulz
Summary: Centuries ago the Rikudo Sennin defeated a behemoth known only as the Juubi. There's a saying that goes "History repeats itself." AU. Eventual Naru/Saku.
1. Prologue

Finally! After two months of procrastination, I have completed the Prologue of Purge. This is the first story I've written, actually, so I don't know what to expect. I already have most of the later chapters planned out, but the difficult part will be getting from here to there. Let's hope everything turns out alright. Now, let me say some things about the Prologue. First, yes, I know there's a lot of skipping going on. All of these events happened on October 10th, the date of the Kyuubi attack. Some of them happened within an hour of each other, and I tried to cover all of them. In most stories, the focus is the actual sealing of the bijuu into Naruto. I tried to be unique, showing what the _other_ villages were thinking when the sealing took place. There, I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review!

The Disclaimer: I deny ownership of Naruto. In case anyone doesn't yet know, Masashi Kishimoto created the glorious series. All non-believers shall be executed. No exceptions.

_**Purge**_

_Prologue_

A lone man, age 22, walked down the hallway, the soft pattering of his feet the only sound keeping him company. Najime Yoshirou was a figure of 6' 2", with short brown hair, dark green eyes, and a slim build. His clothes consisted of a black muscle shirt, brown shinobi pants, a pair of black fingerless gloves, and standard-issue shinobi sandals, though by this point they were quite worn from years of use. Covering the muscle shirt was a standard green, unzipped jounin vest, also quite worn.

He had always hated this place. It was too dismal, too depressing. The dampness never affected him, though, and he was surprised by that. He figured he should have caught colds on multiple occasions. Apparently being a ninja had its benefits.

Yoshirou had received orders to report directly to his leader upon hearing the news, which was shocking in itself. Who had known _that _man would die so suddenly, and without warning? It must have been a painful death, being sucked into the belly of the Shinigami.

The man reached his destination, the room in which his leader resided. He approached the large desk in the back of the room. His leader sat in his chair, his face shrouded by the shadows. Kneeling down on one knee, eyes staring at the ground, Yoshirou delivered his report.

"Leader-sama, we have just received a report that the Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato has successfully sealed the Kyuubi no Yoko inside a newborn child. He died during the sealing, and the Sandaime Hokage has been reinstated," he rattled in an emotionless voice. The man known only as Leader-sama stood and walked over to the only window on the left side of the gray room. His dark brown eyes scanned the vast forest surrounding the compound. In the light his face was clearly visible, showing a battle-scarred man in his early forties with short, near-black hair. A long, thick scar, the most profound one out of about four others, ran from the middle of his left cheek down to the edge of his jaw. It appeared to be a wound from a sword he had received in combat. The fact that he was still alive proved that the man was a capable warrior.

"Send out reconnaissance teams to the four other Kage villages. It is time to see what everyone thinks about this sudden change in events. Based on their opinions, it may be time to put our plan into action," Leader-sama ordered in a fairly deep voice, turning to his subordinate. "And whatever they do, don't let them reveal themselves to the outside world. Not yet. This organization was created in secret, and we need to make sure it stays that way."

"Hai Takehiko-sama, but what about Konoha?" Yoshirou asked.

"The Kyuubi is quite a beast, and Konoha is undoubtedly recovering from their encounter with it. Their opinion does not matter, considering it is their jinchuuriki we're talking about. Oh, and we discussed the usage of my name, correct Yoshirou?"

Yoshirou immediately bowed, quickly voicing, "M-my sincere apologies, Leader-sama! It will not happen again!"

The older man dawned a soft grin, showing compassion alongside his stern words, "It is quite alright. We never know if someone is looking in on us, and a slight error may cost us valuable information."

His counterpart gave a slight nod, relieved, and quickly exited the door from which he entered.

* * *

The Raikage looked out the window in the general direction of Konoha. The malicious chakra which had so recently assaulted his senses had all but died away, leaving a surreal peace throughout the area. All of the shinobi, even the genin, had felt the chakra, and it had put everyone on edge. The Raikage had even ordered a standby of all ninja currently in the village, despite the fact that Kumo was quite a ways away from Konoha. Better to not take any chances.

He had just ordered a cancellation to the standby, seeing that the Kyuubi was apparently dead. The Raikage was a smart person, however, and he knew that Konoha had probably taken a different approach; they had probably sealed the Kyuubi. While Konoha and Kumo had no open hostilities towards each other, it was still unnerving to know that Leaf now possessed the most powerful of the bijuu. He would have to keep an eye on them in the future.

The Raikage's musings were interrupted by the appearance of one of his ANBU. The ninja wore the standard ANBU combat outfit, except there wasn't a ninjato strapped to his back. His mask was that of a wolf. He bowed to his leader before speaking, "Raikage-sama, all shinobi have reported no insecurities in the perimeter, and are currently withdrawing per your orders."

The leader of Kumo nodded in response, but soon caught that the ANBU operative was fidgeting, as if wanting to speak something on his mind. "You have something you want to talk about?"

The ANBU nodded gratefully before continuing, "I was just wondering what you think of the current situation, Raikage-sama. It would give me a better understanding of the rumors spreading concerning the Kyuubi being sealed by Konoha-nin. The whole village seems worried about this as well, and wants to know what your opinions are."

There was a pause as the Raikage thought of an appropriate answer. "I believe the best course of action would be to keep a watchful eye on Konoha. We haven't even confirmed the rumor that they indeed seal the Kyuubi. It will all depend on how they treat their new jinchuuriki."

"Do you wish for me to tell your decision to the villagers?"

"I don't see why that would cause an issue. Go ahead."

The ANBU nodded before shunshining away. Once outside and jumping across the various rooftops, Reiji Yuuto pressed a wireless communication device located in his left ear, whispering, "Did you get all that?"

There was some soft static, before a voice replied, "Loud and clear. One down, four to go."

* * *

A man dressed in a light brown cloak with spiky black hair and purple eyes stopped in front of his target, glancing up. Verifying his destination, Ikine Shou applied chakra to his feet, before easily stepping onto the Kiri administrative building. The Mizukage was currently having a meeting with Kiri's council, and this was the only time he would be giving a vocal opinion about the now dubbed "Kyuubi Incident".

Before the man reached the appropriate window, however, he formed several hand signs and whispered, "Suiton: Sagiri Fukashi no Jutsu." Mist surrounded his immediate vicinity, and he slowly began the trek up the wall. To any villager, the man appeared to be ordinary mist, something that was quite common in Kirigakure.

The mist-covered spy reached the window, and cautiously peered in while enhancing his hearing with chakra. Luck was on his side, because he immediately heard the Mizukage talking about the supposed sealing of the Kyuubi no Yoko.

"If Konoha is as foolish as we believe they are, then they will most certainly use that jinchuuriki as a tool of war once it comes of age. We must prepare ourselves for the possibility of war within the next decade!" There were some grumblings from the councilmen, mostly in agreement with the Mizukage's proposal.

The spy turned away from the window, slowly descending down to the street below. He reached to his left ear, pressing a button. "Well?"

"Transmission received and confirmed. That's two."

* * *

The Kazekage stood over on a balcony, overlooking the growing crowds. They weren't really worried about the "Kyuubi Incident", just... curious. Konoha and Suna had always been longstanding allies. Sure, they might have a new jinchuuriki, but then Gaara might have a playmate. The Kazekage raised his right hand, calling for silence. The crowds immediately calmed, allowing him to proceed.

"Fellow villagers of Suna, there is no need to fear the Konoha-nin for what they did. They were merely acting in self-defense. We are still allies, are we not? Konoha will use their new jinchuuriki to aid us, not hurt us." The crowds murmered in agreement, while a man with red hair and black eyes in a standard shinobi uniform silently stalked away from the commotion. Just like the others, he reached up and pressed a button on his left ear. "The opinion has been confirmed. Requesting acknowledgement."

A voice responded, "Got it. Two more, and the mission will be accomplished."

Akiche Kiyoshi stopped and glanced back at the crowds with a stoic expression, before turning into an alleyway and disappearing in a swirl of sand.

* * *

"Damn them!" The Tsuchikage roared. "Damn those Konoha shinobi to hell! Now that they have that jinchuuriki of theirs, we no longer have the advantage!" The window of the Tsuchikage's office was open, allowing all of his profanities and strings of curses to float down to the village below.

Right where a man stood, eyebrow raised. Matsuni Akio was 19 years old, with sandy blond hair and piercing blue eyes. He was 5' 11", wearing a hood-less, crimson cloak. Attached to his back was a large dual-bladed scythe.

He turned away, casually walking into the village; he pressed the button in his left ear, chuckling, "Well, that was easy."

"That man either needs medication or some serious anger-management therapy," the person on the other end sighed.

"Tell me about it."

* * *

Takehiko silently leaned forward in his chair, hands folded over his mouth. He was pondering the recently acquired information regarding the Kages' various responses towards the "Kyuubi Incident". Suna was with Konoha, which wasn't that surprising. Kumo was neutral as usual, while Kiri and Iwa were against. He smirked, all of them were playing into his hands. The only real factor was Kumo, since they could take a stance with Konoha and Suna if he acted too soon. But they would be dealt with in time. He got up and once again walked over to the lone window, overlooking the green foliage.

"Soon, the village will be resurrected. And then it will begin."

"Indeed."

Takehiko looked back across the room to see Yoshirou enter through the door. "Ah, Yoshirou. What a surprise," he said. "Just the man I was looking for, too. I have a mission for you."

Yoshirou nodded, waiting for orders.

Takehiko continued, "I want you to go to Konoha and watch over the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. Make sure no harm comes to him. He will be instrumental to our plans for the future." Yoshirou nodded once again in response, before disappearing in a blur. Takehiko smiled, knowing full well who was standing in the shadows. "Are you happy now?"

"Yes. Thank you for doing that, I was worried about the villagers' future reactions to him. One can never take too many precautions," the man replied. He sounded in his early twenties, his pale blue eyes barely visible in the shadows. "I wonder... what will you do when he learns of the overall plan?"

Takehiko frowned, not entirely sure this conversation was going in the right direction. "By then he will know of his role, and he will execute it flawlessly. Nothing will come in the way of the Purge."

The shadow-lurker nodded once, before vanishing.

* * *

A small, blond-haired infant lay in a crib in a small apartment, his even breathing the only noise one could hear.

_Such innocence. Too bad, he probably doesn't even know what's roaring in his stomach. _Yoshirou put his hand over Naruto's seal, before performing a single hand sign and channeling chakra. _But he will soon enough. He's going to become strong, this one. That much is certain. _The brown-haired man finished his peculiar jutsu, only to hear the door open. Quickly, he jumped up to the sealing, using chakra to stay attached.

Five villagers armed with kitchen knives and clubs barged into the room, shouting things like "Damn demon!" and "We'll have our revenge!" They rushed towards the crib, preparing to dispatch their target.

A thud from behind stopped their movement. They whirled around, preparing to take care of any fool that might try to aid the demon. Yoshirou was standing on top of an unconscious villager, staring at his body with piercing green eyes. The other villagers snarled before rushing the ninja. The one closest took a swipe with his kitchen knife, only for Yoshirou to grab his forearm and punch him in the gut, breaking several ribs and knocking the wind out of the unfortunate man. The shinobi then vaulted over the villager's hunched form before delivering a punishing kick to another man's face. The two remaining men surrounded Yoshirou. Both were armed with clubs. They rushed him at the same time, raising their weapons to take a swing. The shinobi merely jumped up, allowing the men to hit each other in the face, rendering both unconscious.

Yoshirou looked down at their bloody and bruised forms before glancing at the newborn baby, still asleep even after all that commotion. "Despicable," he sneered. "How can people think to hurt the one that saved their miserable lives?" The one good thing that came out of the encounter was that Yoshirou was successfully able to finish his jutsu before the interruption. He could only hope that it worked.

As he left the apartment through the window Yoshirou took a moment to look at the Hokage Mountain. The faces etched into the rock looked emotionless, yet Yoshirou knew otherwise. He headed towards his own apartment, preparing to set in for the duration of his mission. In the morning he would apply for acceptance into Konoha's ninja ranks. After all, the Kyuubi had attacked only hours before, so the village would probably take any shinobi it could get.

This would be interesting, to say the least.


	2. An Idiot Among Geniuses

First off, many thanks to 19maria9 and dbzgtfan2004 for giving me my first two reviews, and to the 90+ people who read that short prologue. This one is just over 6,000 words without the A/Ns, so it should provide some more sustenance.

I had a tough time figuring out how to start the beginning of this chapter, considering this is one of around 4 total time skips in this story. Now there are three more taking place. A little more information: Kyuubi will play more of a comedic character in Purge, as you will soon find out in this chapter. Also, he will remain a GUY. No female Kyuubi. Period. Second, as I have already mentioned, this story will be Naru/Saku. Once again, period. No Naru/Saku/Sasu or Naru/Saku/Hina, or Saku/anyothercharacteryoucanthinkof. Side pairings will probably be Kiba/Hina and Shika/Tem, though they probably won't be covered that much. As of now, this will be a _long_ fic, spanning well into (and probably past) Shippuden. Also, this story is pretty much one big spoiler for anyone who hasn't read up to 467. Reviews are welcome as always. Please feel free to give any constructive criticism on how I might advance my writing prowess in the future.

Now that's that done, onwards with the story! (Hint, hint: second A/N at the bottom.)

But what's this? A Disclaimer! :O : I may not own Naruto, but I _can _say that I own a guy with a badass scythe.

_**Purge**_

_Chapter 1: An Idiot Among Geniuses_

_12 Years Later..._

Naruto scanned the village for any signs of enemy ninja. Well... technically speaking, they weren't enemies, but all ninja are hostile when you're painting Hokage Mountain. Finding no signs of any trouble, Naruto went back to scribbling on the Yondaime's face with bright blue paint.

_Almost... done!_ He thought, pridefully surveying his artwork. _This should get their attention for sure! _Sure enough, within fifteen seconds of finishing his masterpieces a crowd had gathered below. The angry villagers were soon accompanied by a handful of chuunin, several jounin, and even three ANBU.

"You're in for it now, Uzumaki!" one of the chuunin yelled. His shouting was enforced by the villagers' cries of approval. Naruto merely gave a big, goofy grin before jumping down onto a building.

"Not if you can't catch me!" He half-yelled, half-laughed. The blond then raced off across the rooftops, followed by the other Konoha-nin. They chased Naruto into an alleyway, effectively cornering him. Or, at least they thought. Naruto suddenly jumped onto the wall, hopped over their heads, and ran back into the street. They just stood there, dumbfounded. An Academy student shouldn't have been able to do that.

"**It seems like we've lost them," **came a familiar voice from inside Naruto's head.

_Did you see the look on their faces? _Naruto thought, smiling. _Priceless!_ He bounded up onto the rooftops once again. The 12 year old looked back and saw that the three ANBU had gotten out of their stupor quick enough to restart the chase. They followed him around Konoha for about ten minutes. Every time the elite shinobi thought they had the prankster, he would get away by some inconceivable means. One time early on in the chase, for example, Naruto had actually jumped _into _a watermelon stand, much to the anger of the owner. In the chaos he had managed to pull a sneaky getaway, effectively losing the ANBU for a full two minutes. They eventually found him though, leading up to the current situation: Naruto was slowly losing his lead. On top of that, the ANBU were following him into the Academy, the last place they thought he would go.

They chased Naruto through the halls, until he pulled a cheap move and used a smoke bomb. The diversionary tactic gave him long enough to enter his own classroom.

Iruka really thought the world was ending. Naruto was at his desk, paying attention, and actually _taking notes. _This was a once in a lifetime occurrence, and he was not going to miss it. Even the class itself thought it was too good to be true, but the blond had thus far ignored any questions asked about his peculiar behavior. Sure, he would look at the person asking, but then he would just give them a goofy grin and turn back to face Iruka.

Imagine their surprise when another Naruto came bursting into the classroom.

"Sorrygottahidecan'ttalk," he vocalized in a hardly understandable sentence. The other Naruto, who was still at the desk, immediately made eye contact with his counterpart and got up out of his seat. Naruto-2 pulled the seat out, before doing a simple henge. He took the form of the seat he had just moved. Naruto-1 then sat down on the henged Naruto-2 just in time for the three ANBU to run into the room. Their entrance _really_ peaked the class's attention. Whatever Naruto had done, it was big. None of his uncountable number of pranks had actually gotten ANBU's attention before.

"All right, we know you're here- gotcha!" they swiftly approached Naruto-1, grabbed him by his orange jacket, and pulled him out into the hallway after quickly apologizing to Iruka. Once they were outside, Naruto-2 dropped the henge and sat down on the desk. He started whistling, counting down with his fingers.

3... 2... 1...

There was a barely audible 'poof' from the hallway, followed by a string of curses that made everyone blush.

"Damn it!" one of the ANBU shouted, "It was a Kage Bunshin! How did- never mind, just search the other classrooms!" The sound of their feet slowly subsided, until there was no sound at all. Everyone immediately looked at the still whistling Naruto. Iruka glared at him menacingly and leaking out a small amount of killer intent before speaking.

"Naruto, I'm going to ask you two questions. You are going to answer completely and truthfully. Got that?" Naruto nodded in response.

"Good. Number One: what exactly did you do this time?" Naruto pointed to the window. The chuunin looked out, and immediately spotted the prank. "Oh Kami. You're _so_ screwed." Iruka's wide-eyed reaction made everyone get out of their seats and go see what had their teacher so pissed. They burst into laughter upon seeing the paint covering the Hokage faces. Even Sasuke managed a small smirk.

"A-alright," Iruka continued, "Number Two: how did you manage to get out without us knowing, and, more importantly, how the hell do you know the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu?" At this Naruto just shrugged.

"I learned it."

Iruka raised an eyebrow. "Where, when, and from whom?"

"Here in the village. About three years ago. It's a secret."

The chuunin sighed. "Alright, I guess that's the best I'm going to get." He turned to the class, still standing near the window, "All of you get back to your seats! Class has resumed!" The students walked back to their respective seats, all smirking at Naruto as they passed. The prankster never disappointed.

Once everyone was seated, Iruka turned once again to face the students. "As you all know, graduation is tomorrow. If you pass, you will earn the rank of genin and leave this building as Konoha shinobi. If you fail, you will have the decision to either drop out, repeat this year's course, or become administrative genin. Hopefully I won't be having that talk with any of you. Before we commence, however, we must decide who will earn the title of 'Top Shinobi' and 'Top Kunoichi' for this year. Everyone will have a chance to gain the title, even Naruto." The class broke out into quiet snickers, while Naruto just fumed and glared at his sensei. Even the Kyuubi was chuckling.

_Okay, I probably deserved that, _the blond thought.

"**Yes. Yes you did,"** the Kyuubi replied, still snickering.

_Hey! Even you thought it was a good idea at the time!_

"**That's because I knew I wouldn't be the one getting in trouble. I'm 'dead', remember?"**

A swirl of leaves in the middle of the classroom interrupted Naruto's conversation with the demon. Najime Yoshirou stepped out of the mini-tornado, causing multiple whispers to spread among the students. "Hey! It's Yuushi no Yoshirou! What's he doing here?" one kid with a dog in his jacket whispered. Several of the kunoichi blushed. Yoshirou was an idol in the ninja community, even though he was 34 years old. That age was unheard of for a shinobi, most ninja died before they reached 25.

"Alright gaki, what did you do this time?" Yoshirou asked, immediately making eye contact with Naruto. "Hokage-sama seemed pretty pissed when he called me to his office."

Everyone was looking between Naruto and Yoshirou, all wondering the exact same thing. "Wait, you two know each other?" Iruka asked, effectively voicing everyone's question.

"Onii-san, you have to pay for my ramen! I did it!" Naruto shouted, dramatically pointing a finger at the brown haired man.

Yoshirou glanced at Iruka, who was looking at him with a raised eyebrow. "Yes, and Hokage-sama isn't too happy about it. You might want to go talk to him..." In a second he had appeared besides the blond; he grabbed his shoulder, before making a single hand sign and disappearing in another swirl of leaves.

Iruka blinked once, twice, before saying, "O-okay... I guess we should call it a day, then. The contest will be postponed until tomorrow. Class dismissed!" The Academy students filed out of the class, all wondering what just happened and how the dead-last knew one of Konoha's most famous shinobi.

* * *

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked out at the defiled Hokage Mountain, before frowning and shaking his head. It wasn't really the matter of Naruto doing it in the first place. After all, it would be easy enough to clean it up. The problem was the fact that the jinchuuriki was able to scribble all over the faces without drawing the attention of any Konoha shinobi until after he finished the prank. How the hell did that happen? Alarms should have been going up left and right after he drew the first line on the Shodai's face. As if reading Hiruzen's mind, Yoshirou appeared with Naruto by his side.

"I've brought the little prankster, Hokage-sama," Yoshirou said, trying to be as respectful as possible, considering the Hokage's present mood.

Naruto, however, did not have the same thoughts, "Hey Sarutobi-jii-san!" he said, giving Hiruzen his famous goofy smile. For some reason, Naruto had the power to cheer everyone up, including the Sandaime.

"Ah, Naruto. I see you completed your little prank out there," the Hokage responded.

"Yep! I tried to make yours the prettiest! The ANBU found me though, so I had to return to class," the blond chuckled, nervously rubbing the back of his head. That gave Hiruzen the opening he was looking for to begin the real conversation.

"Yes, about that. I called you here to ask you exactly how you pulled that off without alerting the other ninja."

Naruto frowned, before speaking again. "Genjutsu!"

An awkward silence filled the room. _G-G-Genjutsu?!? How the- what? _Yoshirou thought. _He can't do genjutsu! He said it himself! _Hiruzen was thinking the exact same thing, except his jaw had comically hit the floor in an anime-style way. He put his pinky finger in his ear, trying to clear out the mucus he swore was impeding his hearing.

Satisfied that he could now hear clearly, the Hokage leaned forward in his chair before asking, "Come again?"

Naruto grinned, "Simple! I used a genjutsu on Hokage Mountain that showed them exactly as they were before I painted all over them. That way, no ninja would know what was happening before I finished! I know I said that genjutsu is impossible for me, but the Kyuubi told me that-"

"You can _talk_ to the Kyuubi?!" Hiruzen interrupted, "How? Why? What is he saying?"

Naruto shrugged, "He's always been talking to me. I don't know why, and right now he's saying 'Hi'. So... like I was saying, the Kyuubi told me that the reason I can't do genjutsu is because it requires a precise amount of chakra, while my amounts are, supposedly, through the roof. The Hokage Mountain is huge, though, so it had to take a huge amount of chakra to do the genjutsu. That's why I could do it." There was a pause, "It was fun!"

Hiruzen sat back in his chair and rubbed his temples. How could a kid be such a genius and such an idiot at the same exact time? This had to be a first. "Well Naruto," Hiruzen sighed, "I think you just broke your own record for largest prank of all time. Alright, you're dismissed." Naruto grinned happily before running out of the office, shouting, "See you later, Onii-san!" Once he was gone, Hiruzen focused some killer intent in Yoshirou's general direction, causing the green-eyed man to flinch slightly. "We need to talk."

_May Kami save my soul, _Yoshirou thought, going to close the doors.

* * *

Naruto hopped across the rooftops, going to no general destination. Sometimes, he just like to jump around. He got exercise and it was just fun in general. He originally was going to go to Ichiraku's, but on second thought he remembered that Yoshirou was supposed to pay for his dinner. He did win the bet, after all. He could eat ramen all day if he wanted, but if he held off until Yoshirou finished his meeting he could rub it in, saying he was slowly starving to death while he waited. The blond's musings were interrupted, though, by a familiar head of pink hair.

_Hey, it's Sakura-chan! Maybe she'll finally say yes to a date! _Naruto thought with glee.

Kyuubi suddenly perked up, **"Wait, wait! Hold on, let me go get my popcorn!"**

Not entirely sure what the demon meant, Naruto jumped down about three feet behind Sakura. She was walking into the market, probably going to get food for dinner. "Hey, Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted. Sakura flinched, before walking away as if she hadn't heard anything. Undeterred, Naruto continued to follow her, picking up the pace so he was standing next to the pinkette.

"Hey, you want to go on a date sometime? It'll be my treat!" He said quite loudly, grinning like an idiot.

Sakura slowed down until she wasn't walking at all. Suddenly, she whirled around to face Naruto, fire in her eyes and fist raised menacingly. "Absolutely not, you dead-last halfwit! Hell will freeze over before I go on a date with you!" Her fist met Naruto's face, sending him flying back several feet. Naruto slowly sat up, dizzy, but still conscious enough to hear Sakura shout, "My heart belongs to Sasuke-kun!" before stomping off in her original direction. All was quiet for a second until Naruto heard the Kyuubi howling in laughter.

"**BAHAHAHAHA! That was better than the last time, HAHAHA! Swear to Kami, Kit, I'll teach you Hakuboton if you ever get her to fall for you!"**

_Y'know, you never really did explain Hakuboton, _Naruto thought, his mind already off the dramatic event that had taken place only seconds before.

He heard Kyuubi sigh, **"Hakuboton is the style of the demons. It doesn't use any hand signs, considering most bijuu don't have hands, myself included. All it requires you to do is channel chakra into the form or attack you want it to take. Technically, jinchuuriki can perform Hakuboton, since they have demons inside them. It has never been done before, though. The bijuu themselves never really used it, because it was just so damn powerful. One attack could level a village. I was actually about to use a Hakuboton attack, but Minato sealed me inside you before I could. Good thing too, since I couldn't think straight. Damn Madara... anyway, if I had used it, Konoha would no longer be in existence."**

Naruto absorbed all of this information like a sponge, before shrugging and running off towards home. His brain hurt from all of this stuff on destruction and bijuu, and Yoshirou still apparently hadn't gotten out of his discussion with the Hokage. On top of that, tomorrow was his graduation test and the contest for "Top Shinobi" and "Top Kunoichi". He just knew he was going to go up against that prick, Sasuke. Maybe, if he beat him, Sakura would finally see the truth and accept a date! That in itself would be wonderful, but now he had the added prize of learning Hakuboton. Naruto smiled, this was going to be exciting.

He reached his apartment, and unlocked the front door. He quickly looked around, finding that his stuff wasn't trashed like it sometimes was. Stupid villagers were stupid. Right as he looked at his kitchen, Naruto's stomach growled. Curse Yoshirou and his long meeting! Too lazy to go back out to Ichiraku's, Naruto opened his cabinet and retrieved a miso ramen container. After some quick preparation, he sat down on his bed and started feasting. He finished, looked outside, and checked the position of the sun for the time. In all the excitement of the day, Naruto never realized just how late it was. The sun was already below the horizon! Naruto undressed, put on his pajamas, and plopped down on his bed.

"G'night, Sakura-chan," he whispered, before drifting off to sweet bliss.

* * *

_Naruto woke up laying on one of the roads in Konoha. Funny, he didn't remember leaving his apartment. He must've been sleepwalking or something. Standing up, he looked around and immediately noticed that he was across the street from Ichiraku's. He grinned, deciding to go greet the best chefs in the world._

_He entered through the curtain blocking the little restaurant from the outside world and sat in his usual seat. Teuchi noticed his arrival and greeted him, "Hey, kid! You want the usual?" Naruto vigorously nodded his head, there was no way he was going to deny Teuchi's ramen. He heard a noise, though. It sounded like... noodles slurping? He looked over to his left, and what he saw shocked him._

"_S-Sakura-chan?!" Sakura looked over and smiled sweetly._

"_Oh, hi Naruto-kun!" Naruto's eyebrows shot up at the honorific. She looked older, like she was fifteen or sixteen. Her hair was much shorter, only reaching down to about her lower neck. Curious, he looked at himself, and realized he was taller, as well as wearing different clothes. Instead of his orange jumpsuit, he was wearing a black and orange jacket, with orange pants. His musings were interrupted, though, when he felt a strange weight on his shoulder. He slowly glanced over, and... wait, what was Sakura doing?_

_Her head was on his shoulder, and she sighed contently. _Oh Kami, oh Kami! My prayers have been answered! _Naruto thought, internally leaping for joy._

_Suddenly, though, everthing went dark. Naruto reappeared in the forest outside Konoha, burnt branches all around him. There was a noise behind him, and he spun around, kunai in hand. What he saw scared the living hell out of him. Standing before him was a giant beast; so huge, in fact, that Naruto could only make out the shadow of the creature. It had one eye, with four Rinnegan circles, nine Sharingan tomoe in the three closest to the pupil. The eye had a glowing gold-like color. What was even scarier, though, was the fact that the beast could talk._

"_**You shall become the epitomy of power. Your allies will trust you with the safety of their villages, your enemies will flee in terror before your might. You shall become a legend among legends. The Age of Purging must either bring peace or ultimate destruction. You shall decide which path it takes. The world will forever know the name of the one who wields the power. Everything will fall into place with the Destiny."**_

_Naruto was awestruck at the beast's words. Him? Become a legend? What the hell was going on? Before he had time to ponder the riddle, however, the demon spoke again. And the six words that came out of its mouth would forever haunt Naruto's mind._

"_**Long live the Being of Purge."**_

_**

* * *

**_

Naruto awoke with a start, blond hair sticking to his forehead from sweat. That was definitely the freakiest dream he had ever had. Sure, it started off fine. Sakura was leaning on his shoulder, for Kami's sake! What was unusual was the demon and its words. It was unlike any of the other bijuu he had learned about. They had covered the topic in the Academy and Naruto had actually payed attention, being a jinchuuriki himself. Of course, the books said that the Kyuubi was dead, but that was another story for another time. And what was with its words? The Being of Purge.... Mentally slapping himself, Naruto just shook it off as a weird dream and got ready for class.

The young shinobi took a quick shower before putting on his famous orange jumpsuit. He hit the rooftops after eating an instant ramen cup and bee-lined for the Academy, already shaking in his sandals for the day's class. Sasuke would be beaten, that was a promise!

The students were already gathered outside the building as Naruto landed. He walked up to his longtime friend, Shikamaru, who was currently talking with the dog-boy, Kiba. "Hey guys," the blond muttered.

"Wow, you're here early," Shikamaru commented, knowing his friend was not a morning person.

Naruto grunted, "I had a freaky-ass dream last night."

Kiba smirked, taking the opportunity to diss the dead-last of the graduating class. "Aw, what's the matter? Is little ol' Naruto afraid of the big, bad dream?" he cooed. The blond just glared at him.

"I'd like you to see the demon that was in that dream. That eye-" Naruto shivered, "I never want to see that eye again."

Kiba and Shikamaru took an involuntary step back. "Was it the... Kyuubi?" Kiba asked warily. Naruto shook his head negatively, causing the other two boys to let out a breath they didn't know they were holding.

"The Kyuubi's dead, remember?" Naruto said. The others nodded.

**"****I call bull!"**

_Shut up._

The ringing of the Academy bell interrupted the conversation. All of the students began entering the classroom, anxiety and anticipation clearly written on most of their faces. This would be the day that decided their future careers. Everyone entered idol chat while they waited for Iruka. The classroom went quiet as Naruto entered and slowly made his way to his seat, muttering a quick "Hi, Sakura-chan," as he passed her desk. She shot him a quick, evil glance before returning to dreamily staring at Sasuke. Talking soon resumed, with everyone shooting occasional glances at Naruto. Top among these was Sasuke. On more than one instance, Naruto found himself in a staredown with the Uchiha, neither blinking until it was out of necessity.

Iruka finally entered the room and cleared his throat, gaining the students' attention. He looked around the room, mentally noting that all were accounted for. Satisfied, he went back to his desk and sorted through some papers, before saying, "I'm glad that you all could show up. Today is one of the most important days of your young lives. You shall either be made a shinobi or have your dreams crushed." Everyone gulped. "Now then, before you take the graduation exams, we must decide who will become 'Top Shinobi' and 'Top Kunoichi'. Due to an unexpected interruption-" the scarred man shot a look at Naruto, who just smiled and rubbed the back of his head, "-we were unable to decide the winners yesterday. If you would all proceed to the outside training grounds..." The students made their way outside, where they stretched and prepared for the spars.

Iruka looked around, trying to find a good pair. The first match had to be a good one, after all. Eying the competition, Iruka chose out the fighters. This would cause a lot of commotion, but it would be interesting. "Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke, please step to the field!"

The Uchiha's hand immediately shot up. "Iruka-sensei, I immediately request a change of competitors. This match will not sufficiently test my skills," he said stoically.

"Request denied," Iruka replied, shaking his head negative.

Sasuke scoffed, going to the sparring area where Naruto was already patiently waiting. They stood ten feet from each other, waiting for Iruka to begin the match.

"Ready... BEGIN!" Iruka shouted before leaping back. Sasuke smirked, this wouldn't be hard at all. He rushed forward towards Naruto in order to initiate a taijutsu match

_Well? _Naruto thought, _I'm assuming I should just play along?_

"**For the time being. Don't do anything stupid, though. I'm not really in the mood to heal any broken bones from a freakin' Academy spar."**

Naruto merely smirked, allowing Sasuke to close the distance between them. Once Sasuke got in range he threw a right hook towards the blond's face, which Naruto easily dodged by ducking and leaning to the left. Naruto retaliated by going for a jab to Sasuke's gut, which the raven-haired boy easily jumped over. Sasuke spun around, trying a left jab this time. His competitor dropped to the ground, placed his palms underneath himself and then rolled over onto his back, before raising his legs and delivering a punishing kick to Sasuke's abdomen. He keeled over, the air knocked out of him. Naruto took this advantage and got into a squatting position. He then jumped up, giving Sasuke a mean left-handed uppercut.

Iruka smiled over on the sidelines. _There you go, Naruto. _

_What the hell is going on? _Sasuke thought angrily, _I should be wiping the floor with this dobe! Time to pull out all the stops. _Sasuke recovered in mid air and flipped back, going through the familiar hand signs he had been taught so long ago.

"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!" he shouted, exhaling a large fireball towards the blond. All the fan girls on the sidelines cheered, the dead-last would surely lose now. Something surprising happened though. Naruto didn't appear fazed at all. Instead, he bent down and jumped, doing a split in midair. The large fireball sailed harmlessly underneath him, although dangerously close to his nether regions.

"Whew, that was a little too close," he muttered, looking back at the now-dissipating fireball. Suddenly, though, he felt a foot connect with the back of his head. The next thing Naruto knew, he was lying on the ground, slightly dazed. Sasuke's foot was still raised slightly off the ground. He had done a spin-kick when Naruto wasn't looking.

"Winner, Uchiha Sasuke!" Iruka's voice yelled out.

The fan girls leaped for joy, shouting things like "Way to go, Sasuke!" and "We _love_ you, Sasuke!"

Iruka walked over to Naruto, who was still lying on the ground. It appeared like he was looking at the clouds. "You held back, didn't you?" he asked, squatting down next to him.

Naruto shrugged, "Yeah, and?"

"Why?"

"If I went all-out, I would've broken several of his bones, including his jaw and ribs. Some people wouldn't have liked that, so I held back." By now the class had stopped congratulating the Uchiha and were listening intently to the conversation between sensei and student.

"Is that why you also stuck with taijutsu?" Iruka asked.

"If I used the Kage Bunshins, it wouldn't have been a fair fight. Simple as that. And yes, I know that in the real world fights are never fair." Naruto added, answering Iruka's next question.

Over on the sidelines, Sakura was debating Naruto's words in her head. _He... was holding back?_

"**CHA! And he meant us when he said 'some people'! Blondie didn't hurt our Sasuke-kun because we wouldn't gotten mad!"**

_He was probably just scared that I would hit him again,_ Sakura shrugged. Ino was standing a few feet away from her, eying her carefully.

"Hey Forehead, you alright? You're acting a little weird..."

"Oh, what, huh? I'm fine, Ino-Pig!"

"Whatever, just stay away from my Sasuke-kun!"

"_Your_ Sasuke-kun?! He clearly prefers _me_ over _you_! Don't get your hopes up, Pig!"

"I cannot believe what I'm hearing! What lying rat told you that bogus information? Sasuke-kun has always been giving me those looks. He doesn't even acknowledge your presence! Right, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke, however, was deep in thought. _He was holding back!? Even though I was going all-out and even used one of my strongest jutsu? What the hell! I'm going to need a rematch just to see how strong that dobe is. He _can't_ be stronger than me, I'm an Uchiha! _

"SASUKE-KUN!!" Sasuke was jolted out of his thoughts by a strong tugging on his left arm. He looked up to see Sakura pouting cutely at him.

"Tell Ino-Pig she's wrong! You clearly love me, don't you?" She half-asked, half-pleaded. Over in the distance, Sasuke could hear another voice.

"Don't listen to her, Sasuke-kun! We were made for each other! We're soul-mates!!" It was the voice of Ino, who was dramatically running towards the Uchiha, arms outstretched. She enveloped Sasuke in a bear-hug. He quickly pulled away from the two girls and took several big steps back.

"Alright, let's get something straight here," he said, "There is absolutely _no _way that I will ever marry someone either blond or with pink hair. Never mind that both of you are completely obnoxious and crazy! You two are horrible!" he almost-shouted, but quickly regained his cool Uchiha demeanor and stomped away scoffing.

Both Sakura and Ino just sat there for a little while, awed at Sasuke's mean words.

"Wha...?" Sakura mumbled.

"**It's all Ino-Pig's fault! We were about to have our first kiss with Sasuke-kun, but that witch ruined in and gave us a bad image!!" **Inner Sakura shouted. Sakura couldn't agree more.

"Grrr.... THAT WAS ALL YOUR FAULT, INO-PIG!!" Sakura bellowed, accusingly pointing at Ino.

"M-MY FAULT?!" Ino replied, equally loud, "THAT WAS YOUR FAULT! SASUKE-KUN WAS LOOKING AT ME WITH LOVING EYES, BUT YOU TRIED TO HOG HIM, MAKING HIM THINK THAT I'M JUST A NUISANCE!"

The whole class watched in painful agony as the two girls started one of the longest yelling contests in Academy history. Iruka refused to break it up, saying he really didn't want to spend two years in the hospital. Eventually he just announced that Sasuke was the Top Shinobi and Ino the Top Kunoichi; reasons being that they only had one match, which Sasuke won, and while Sakura hit hard, Ino kept at it until she _knew_ your bones were broken. The craziness died down after a while, much to Iruka's relief. Finally, they could do the exam.

"Class, it is now time to take the Genin Graduation Exam. Please reenter the classroom," he spoke. The whole class went back to their seats in deathly silence, for fear of provoking Ino and Sakura. Even Naruto stayed clear of the pinkette, not even addressing her as he quickly passed her seat. Sakura was actually disappointed by this, but shrugged it off as smoldering resentment towards Ino.

Iruka spoke up again once everyone was seated. "For the exam, you will need to be able to perform three of the basic techniques. First, the Henge no Jutsu. Second, the Kawarimi no Jutsu. Finally, the Bunshin no Jutsu." Naruto's head hit the desk. The Bunshin was a stain in his book. It used such little chakra that it was impossible for him to perform it. The Kage Bunshin was different, because it split the user's chakra in half. Maybe he could just get off the hook using that. They were, after all, both Bunshin techniques.

One by one, Iruka called the names of students in alphabetical order, and every time they came out proudly wearing the Konoha hitai-ite. Finally, after long last, "Uzumaki Naruto!" was called. The blond jumped out of his seat and made his way to a door in the front of the room. Iruka sat behind a desk inside in a small candlelit room.

"You ready Naruto?" he asked.

"Dattebayo!"

Iruka smiled. "Alright, first the henge." Naruto nodded, and performed the familiar hand signs. Dog, Boar, Tiger... poof! He took the form of the current Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. Iruka nodded quickly, checking off the box on a sheet of paper.

"Kawarimi no Jutsu." Naruto nodded again. Ram, Boar, Ox, Dog, Snake. He found his target. There was a poof, and Naruto switched places with a stray chair located in the right side of the room. Iruka again checked off another box.

"Lastly, the Bunshin no Jutsu." Oh boy. Naruto took a deep breath in an attempt to calm his nerves. He slowly formed the hand signs. Ram, Snake, Tiger. He concentrated his chakra on making an exact replica of himself. Poof. The clone looked okay, except for one problem.

It was missing its left eye.

Iruka sighed, "Well, I'm sorry to say that you didn't pass the Bunshin no Jutsu. Technically, that means you don't pass the exam." Naruto's shoulders visibly slumped. "But," Iruka continued, a smile forming on his face, "you _do _know the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, which more than compensates for your inability to peform the standard technique." Naruto's eyes shot open, a look of surprise etched on his face.

Iruka got out of his seat, a Konoha hitai-ite firmly in his right hand. He slowly walked up towards his student, and he had to admit that he was proud.

"Congratulations, Naruto. You are officially a Konoha genin."

* * *

Yoshirou slumped down on the top of Hokage Mountain. He had finally finished cleaning the paint off of the faces. Hiruzen had given him a strict punishment for "corrupting an Academy student to pull a prank". He had to run three laps around Konoha with Maito Gai, and then wash the Hokage Mountain. With no jutsu. And no breaks. Oh, Naruto was going to get it.

His plots of revenge were interrupted by the appearance of a swirl of dust. The spiral subsided, revealing a cloaked man with a large scythe on his back.

"Yo," the man said, before promptly sitting down besides Yoshirou.

"What's up, Akio?"

"Nothing, really. Leader-sama wanted me to check in, so here I am!" Akio replied, shrugging.

"Huh. Does he want a status report or something?"

"Actually, he wanted me to join you in watching over the jinchuuriki." There was a pause. "You do know you've been disobeying orders, right?"

Yoshirou frowned, he knew this was coming. "It doesn't matter, does it? None of them know. They're not even suspicious! I've lived here for twelve frickin' years! I think I've earned the right to watch over the gaki. He even calls me onii-san..."

"Woah, woah! I never said I didn't agree with you! The boss is just a little curious!" Akio quickly said, raising his hands in self-defense. "To be honest, I've been a little interested in the kid, myself. What's his name, Naruto? I've been wanted to meet him, so I volunteered to stay here from now on. Y'know, just in case 'you know who' makes a move."

"They're active already?"

Akio nodded grimly, "The best we can do is train him for the time when they do show up and hope for the best. There's the spy, but we're not really Konoha shinobi so there's no telling if he'll trust us or not."

A silence gripped the area for a full five minutes before Akio spoke again, "It's almost time."

"Yes indeed."

* * *

And there's the first chapter! The next update may be a little late, since MW2 COMES OUT TODAY YEAAAAAAAH.

...

Aaanyway... I decided to post some questions as a second A/N. They shouldn't be hard to figure out, but I can't say that since I'm the author and already know the answers. :D

1.) How did Naruto _really_ get out of class unnoticed?

2.) Who taught Naruto the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu?

3.) How can the Kyuubi mind-chat with Naruto, and why is he so damn nice?

4.) What the F*CK was that thing in Naruto's dream?

Those are the questions, there'll be more every chapter. Every chapter I will post the person who answers the previous chapter's question(s) correct (you can answer more than one), or, in a case that no one gets the answer, the person with the closest answer. You can either give me your answers in a review or send them via PM. For the winners, I will PM you a picture of a medal or a cookie, AND I will explain the answers. That's plot revealing, just to let you know. Which means you know something that others don't.

Questions two and three relate the most to each other.

Question four is probably the easiest and most revealing plot-wise.

Question one was already hinted at during the chapter, and is not the answer some of you will probably give me.

Those are your hints, good luck! Remember, you don't have to answer the questions if you don't want to. Just some things to think about, and some possible plot points exploited.


	3. Arc 1 Chapter 1:Teams and Introductions

Wow. How long has it been? 15 days? Sorry guys, I really wasn't expecting the chapter to take this long. Life decided to be difficult again. Too much has happened in the last two weeks, so I'm not even going to try to explain it. But hey, I wrote it, didn't I? This is the beginning of Arc 1, which will include the team decisions and bell test, the Wave mission, and some of the stuff after it. I ask you to bare with me through the first part of this fic. I've been trying to include subtle hints of NaruSaku here and there, but nothing major will happen for a while. Something will be happening in Wave and the Chuunin exams, so hopefully that'll satisfy you guys until we get to Shippuden. Then the real fun will begin. :D

I think I overdid it a little with the reactions to the team's discovery of Naruto and Yoshirou's brotherly relationship. And Akio's... sort of. Also, there won't be any questions at the end of this chapter, considering nothing really major happens. Maybe next chapter. If not, then definitely the one after. Review if you want to, but I'm not going to beg. It's only the second chapter, third if your counting the Prologue.

My apologies to tennisdesi91 for not responding to your answers. ^ See lame reason above. ^ Thanks for reviewing. Thanks to Gravenimage and NarutoRocks as well for your reviews.

Disclaimer: What if I told you that I was actually a pawn in a plan created by Kishimoto to create a conspiracy about a myth about the true origins of Naruto? I bet you would think I'm crazy. Too bad I'm not a pawn and none of that is true (I think), so you can't think I'm crazy. Right? I don't own Naruto, nor will I ever will.

_**Purge**_

_Arc 1- Chapter 1: Teams, Introductions, and Journeys_

"Team 7 will be... Uchiha Sasuke..."

Sasuke perked up, it was about time his name was called. All of the former Academy students had successfully passed the Genin Exam, even Naruto. The dead-last's graduation was a surprise to the other students, some of them had even made bets on his reaction when he failed. When he came out of the examination room proudly wearing his hitai-ite, the room went quiet, save for a few gasps of shock. Currently, Iruka was assigning them all teams. Being an Uchiha, Sasuke had really thought he would be on one of the first teams. Instead, apparently, he was on Team 7. Now he could only pray that he wouldn't be given a rabid fan girl or the "dobe" as teammates.

"... Haruno Sakura..."

Sasuke's head hit the desk. _Why does Kami hate me?_ He looked behind him when he heard a loud "CHA!" of excitement. Sakura had one leg on her desk, fist raised in the air.

"In your face, INO-PIG!" she shouted, pointed over at Ino. The blond was currently moping, muttering "Sasuke-kuuuuuun..." Sakura smiled and turned to look at Sasuke, who, upon seeing her eyes, quickly turned around and started praying.

Naruto was sitting over to the side of the room, sadly watching the scene before him unfold. Why did Sakura have to be paired up with Sasuke? Why not him? Now Sakura would never notice him. _Oh well, as long as she's happy._

"... and Uzumaki Naruto."

All cheering stopped. The silence that lasted for a full thirty seconds was suddenly interrupted by Ino's laughing, followed shortly by Sakura's desperate shouts of "NO!" and Sasuke's head hitting the desk again. Naruto smiled. Sure, he was placed with the Uchiha, but he was also on a team with Sakura! Now she would surely notice him! And how bad could Sasuke be? He would definitely ignore them, but that wasn't so horrible. Now, if only he could get a good sensei...

"Your sensei will be Hatake Kakashi." This got Naruto thinking. He was positive he had heard that name before. He broke out of his thoughts when he heard Iruka speak again.

"Team 8 will be... Hyuuga Hinata... Aburame Shino... and Inuzuka Kiba. Your sensei will be Yuhi Kurenai."

Almost immediately, a black haired woman with red eyes poofed into the room, told her team to meet her at a random training ground, and left in the same manner in which she came. That wasn't right! Where was _his_ sensei? He should've shown up by now, but Team 7 was still waiting. Iruka shouted out the names for Team 9, and again their sensei poofed into the room, gave his team directions, and disappeared. This only served to piss Naruto off even more. Oh, this Kakashi guy was going to get it.

"Team 10 will be Yamanaka Ino... Nara Shikamaru... and Akimichi Choji. Your sensei will be Sarutobi Asuma."

A man with black hair, a black beard, and brown eyes poofed into the room. He was smoking a cigarette. "Meet me outside by the swing," he said. Instead of using the shunshin, he walked out the door, muttering, "Damn technique is overrated." Team 10 looked at each other before shrugging and walking out after him.

Now Naruto was just outright angry. Three teams had been called after theirs, and their sensei still hadn't appeared. This was getting out of hand, and now there weren't even any genin left in the room. Just him, Sasuke, and Sakura, all of whom shared the same thought.

_What kind of ninja can be this late?_

A half hour passed, and Kakashi was still MIA. Sasuke was staring out the window, occasionally muttering a "hn". Sakura was seething, but for two reasons. The first reason was obviously their late sensei. The second reason had to do something with Naruto's pacing. The pinkette could've sworn that Naruto was creating a trench with the back-and-forth motion, and it was starting to get very annoying.

"Stop it, baka!" she shouted, finally snapping. "He'll get here when he gets here, so stop pacing!"

Naruto did indeed stop, but instead of flinching like one would normally do after getting yelled at, he smiled. A big, goofy smile. Any attention he could get from Sakura was good, even if it did involve her yelling at him.

Sakura noticed this, and thought it a little creepy. _But... y'know, it's also kinda... cute? _She vigorously shook her head. No, there was no was that idiot was cute. Thankfully, there was a shunshin-announcing poof, which saved her from thinking about the incident any more. A man with spiky white hair stood in the middle of the classroom. He was wearing the standard jounin flak vest, black shinobi shirt and pants, and standard shinobi sandals. The lower half of his face was covered by a mask, and his left eye was covered by his headband.

Kakashi lifted his right hand to give a half-wave while mellowly saying, "Yo." His current attention was focused on a small orange book.

Naruto couldn't stand his bored demeanor. "You. Are. LATE!" he shouted, pointing an accusing finger at his new sensei. Kakashi looked up from his book from a split second, but soon did a double take. His lone visible eye widened slightly, and he closed the novel, pocketing it in his vest. He stared Naruto down.

"No way... blond hair, whisker marks..." he pointed a shaking finger at the blond. "I have absolutely no idea who you are!"

Naruto literally fell down. Was this guy serious?

_Whew, that was close, _Kakashi thought. _Almost gave away how I knew him. Can't let him know about his father just yet... even if I can't believe that he's actually alive. I won't fail sensei, not again! _

Kakashi pulled out his book again, and turned towards his new pupils, "Meet me on the roof." He poofed away. Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke looked at each other, before making the slow trek to the set meeting point.

Once the team was fully assembled on the roof, Kakashi spoke. "Alright, we're going to get to know each other. State your name, your likes and dislikes, and your dreams for the future. You go first, blondie."

Naruto snorted, "You first."

"My name is Hatake Kakashi, I have no likes and dislikes, and my dreams are none of your business."

There was a silence. _So, all we really learned was his name. Figures. _Naruto thought, sighing. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like ramen, training, and Sakura-chan. I dislike Sasuke-teme, people who judge others without really knowing them, and food that isn't ramen. My dream is to become the future Hokage. Dattebayo!"

Kakashi merely looked at him for a couple of seconds, before pointing to Sakura. "You're next, Crush of Blondie."

Sakura growled, sending a glare towards Naruto, "My name is Haruno Sakura. I like shopping and Sasuke-kun. I dislike Naruto and perverts. My dream is to become a great kunoichi."

Kakashi flinched and quickly put away his book. He twiddled his thumbs for a moment, trying to think of a good hiding place to escape to before his suffered a few broken bones. Eventually he just sighed, and pointed to Sasuke. "Now you, Crush of Blondie's Crush."

Sasuke shivered. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I have no likes. My dislikes include the dobe and _her. _My ambition is to kill a certain person."

Kakashi sighed. _Great, so we have Naruto, a fan girl, and a self-proclaimed avenger. This is going to be interesting. _"Well then. I guess now that that is out of the way, it is time to take the official genin test."

Now, wait a minute. Didn't they already graduate? All of them clearly remembered going into the examination room and walking out afterwords proudly wearing the Konoha hitai-ite. So what was this about another test?

"I can see that all of you are rightfully confused," Kakashi continued. "That test you took to graduate from the Academy was not the real genin test. That was, how should I put it, a qualification test to see if you qualified for the rank of genin. Meet me tomorrow at 6 AM at Training Ground 11 for the real deal. Oh, and don't eat breakfast. See ya!" Before the unofficial genin could muster a response, the silver-haired jounin had shunshined away.

Sakura took this sudden departure as an opportunity to ask Sasuke out on a date, "Hey, Sasuke-kun? Do you... um... wanna go get something to eat with me?" Sasuke didn't respond. Instead, he got up and walked away, hands in his pockets. Sakura automatically got up and started following him, but the two only got to the edge of the roof when they heard another poof. Someone had appeared in front of Naruto.

"Hey, gaki. What's up?"

"Onii-san! Where's my ramen?!" Naruto half asked, half shouted, unfazed by Yoshirou's sudden appearance.

"That's one of the two reasons why I'm hear. The other is to introduce you to someone."

Just as Yoshirou said that, Naruto felt two hands on his shoulders. He whirled around, kunai at the ready. The scythe-wielding man laughed.

"Well, he checks off in self-defense. You been training him, Yoshirou?"

Yoshirou nodded. "Twelve long years. Gaki, this is Matsuni Akio. He's gonna be staying here for a while." Naruto looked back at Akio, and his eyes were drawn to one thing in particular.

"Cool scythe!"

Akio grinned. "Kid's got good taste. What's your favorite food, Naruto?"

"Ramen."

"... Coming here was the best decision I've ever made. Any good ramen places in this village?"

"Ichiraku's. Best ramen stand in the world."

"Race you there."

"You're on! You coming, onii-san?"

"Guess I have to," Yoshirou sighed.

They all leaped off the roof, leaving Sasuke and Sakura the only ones left. They had stopped when Yoshirou appeared, their attention peaked by the legendary ninja's brotherly treatment of the dead-last. Their curiosity increased even further when a man with a large dual-bladed crimson scythe appeared behind Naruto. He seemed like quite a powerful shinobi himself. The Uchiha had realized this fact first, and was... jealous? Yes, Uchiha Sasuke was jealous of the dead-last of the graduating class. How did Naruto seemingly know all of these powerful shinobi? What's more, they hadn't even spared Sasuke a fleeting glance. He was an Uchiha! He should have been recognized instantly for his talents! They should have been offering to train him! Muttering something incoherent, Sasuke jumped off of the roof himself, intending to follow the trio to where ever they were going.

Sakura, on the other hand, was just plain confused. _How did Naruto know those shinobi? Isn't he supposed to be the worst ninja in the class?_

"_**Think about it. There's something going on that we don't know, and it is our right as his teammate to find out! Go ask him, CHA!" **_

Sakura nodded, determination and curiosity boiling inside of her. She jumped down onto the streets below, and began the trek to Ichiraku's. One way or the other, she would find out why Yoshirou and Naruto were so attached. As she was walking, she saw Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji sitting around on a bench. They all looked confused and tired with the exception of Choji, who was eating a bag of chips. By now Sakura was really curious about the situation regarding Naruto. She walked over, wondering how she could bring up the topic.

"Hey Ino, Shikamaru, Choji."

Ino looked up, saw Sakura, and smiled. When they weren't fighting over Sasuke, they were actually the best of friends and rarely fought. "Hi Sakura, what's up?" she asked.

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "I could ask you the same thing. Why do you all look so worn out?"

"Well, we just got done with our first training lesson. Asuma-sensei is a killer, but he's nice. Then we all were going to get something to eat, but we almost got run over by this really cool guy with a scythe. Guess who was following him?"

"Naruto and Yuushi no Yoshirou," Sakura replied cooly, smirking a little.

"You're never going to gue- wait, what? How'd you know?"

"Naruto's on my team, remember? As well as... well... yeah," Sakura dared not say Sasuke's name. She wasn't in the mood to fight at the moment. "But anyway, Kakashi-sensei had just disappeared on us. I was going to leave, but there was another poof. Yoshirou appeared, and soon after that guy with the scythe showed up behind Naruto. Yoshirou said the guy's name was Akio, and then they all jumped off the roof. I heard them say something about getting ramen."

Shikamaru chose this moment to join the conversation, "So that's why Naruto was chasing after that guy. He was shouting that he 'hadn't played fair' and 'cheated like a loser'. The guy was running like the Shinigami itself was after him. I guess they were having a bet; most likely who could eat the most ramen without puking."

Sakura had to cover her mouth to prevent a giggle. That was classic Naruto behavior. Sure, she still hated him, but she had to admit that the boy was funny. Once the pinkette had her giggles sufficiently under control, she realized that her question was never answered about how Yoshirou knew the blond. She thanked Team 10 before running to the market. From what Ino and Shikamaru had told her, that was the direction in which they were heading. She didn't have to run far, though, because about five minutes later she heard someone yell, "Sakura-chan, trip him!"

She turned around just in time to see Akio vault over her and continue running. He was laughing. Naruto slowed down until he was standing next to Sakura, slightly out of breath.

"Yeah, you BETTER run! When I find you...!" He shouted after Akio's running form. He then mutter a much quieter "damn cheater" before turning to Sakura.

The pinkette was shocked. Akio had just easily vaulted over her without slowing down. He was a shinobi, after all, but that kind of agility would still take some getting used to. She took a moment to recover, before looking at Naruto.

"Mind if I ask you a question?"

Naruto, treasuring every moment he could get talking to her, immediately responded, "Sure."

"How do you and Yuushi no Yoshirou know each other?"

"Well..." Naruto muttered, not expecting the question, "You see... he's sort of my guardian." He rubbed the back of his head. "He kind of helped me out when I was younger."

Sakura shrugged, "Oh." She didn't imply further, and walked away. She had a nagging feeling, though, like she was making the wrong decision. Like it would do immense good for her future if she simply asked, "How?" But she didn't, instead telling herself that she had to go look for Sasuke.

Naruto watched her vanish into the vast marketplace crowds, wondering what just happened.

"**Well, that was interesting. Almost seemed like she was interested there for a second."**

_Why do you think she wanted to know about my relationship with Onii-san? Think she likes me?_

"**Not in the least. I can sense people's emotions, and what she showed was pure curiosity. She was wondering how a loser like you could know a powerful ninja like Yoshirou."**

Naruto's shoulders slumped, but he regained his posture as he saw Yoshirou walk up to him.

"There you are," he said. "Done chasing after Akio?"

Naruto nodded.

"Alright then. Why don't we go train? I can even tell you about that test your sensei will be giving you," he hinted, nudging Naruto a little with his elbow. Naruto's amazing smile appeared on his face and he nodded happily. He and Yoshirou took to rooftops, and would spend the rest of the day and well into the night training.

* * *

Sasuke was mad. No, he was furious. He went to Ichiraku's, but Naruto was nowhere to be found. What's more, he had no clues as to how the dobe had met and gained the trust of such powerful shinobi. Now there was a very real possibility that Naruto would be receiving training from both Yoshirou and the guy with the scythe. That meant that Sasuke would be at a disadvantage, especially since his only sensei seemed to be a good-for-nothing pervert who like to arrive to meetings late. And Naruto had a crush on Sakura, which meant he was bound to introduce her to the shinobi sooner or later. They might take a liking to her like they had Naruto, and give _her_ training as well. That made Sasuke mad. He couldn't be the weakest on his team, or else Itachi will never consider him a worthy opponent. Feeling pissed at himself and the world around him, Sasuke trudged back to the Compound. Tomorrow Kakashi would be giving them the real genin test, and the "Last Uchiha" couldn't stay at the top of his game feeling annoyed.

* * *

Sakura plopped down in her bed feeling worn out, sort of happy, but most of all confused. She hadn't been able to find Sasuke, and Naruto was confusing her. A lot. The baka knew two extremely powerful ninja, apparently chased one of them across the village without any consequences, and didn't explain any of it. Well, he sort of did, but Sakura wasn't concerned about that at the moment. Then again... why _was_ she concerned? She was thinking about Naruto! She hated him, didn't she? The pinkette sighed, she was going to give herself a headache. She finally decided that the reason she was freaking out over this was because Naruto just happened to be a little more mysterious and kept a few more secrets than she knew. But he wasn't Sasuke. That's what Sakura kept telling herself as she slowly fell asleep.

* * *

The next morning, the genin met at Training Ground 11 at six o'clock sharp. They patiently waited for their sensei by the fence that led into the lightly forested field. Naruto was sitting by himself, poking a rock, but he was far from alienated. Sakura and Sasuke had apparently made a habit out of glancing at him every thirty seconds, before turning away and pretending to do something else. Naruto was well aware of this, as every time his teammates looked at him Kyuubi coughed. Naruto and the fox had talked earlier and both had agreed that the morning was going to be awkward.

_Why does knowing two guys have to be so weird to them?_

"**Kit, from the time you entered the Academy you were classified as a dead-last loser with practically no friends, save Shikamaru and a few others. You graduate, and suddenly everyone sees you hanging around with two powerful shinobi, one famous for several very good reasons. And they basically treat you like a brother. What do you expect their reactions to be?"**

Naruto thought about what the demon said for several long minutes, all the while still managing to pay attention to the glances his teammates were giving him. Finally, he responded to Kyuubi's rhetorical question. _Good point. Hopefully this will all eventually blow over. _

"**Don't worry Kit, I'm sure it will."**

The awkwardness continued for three more hours. By the time Kakashi arrived at 9 AM, the genin team was getting ready to leave. They glared at him.

"How can one man be _three hours_ late?" Sakura growled.

Kakashi had already predicted his reaction, so he used a tried and true excuse. "Sorry, I was helping an old lady cross the street."

"Bullshit."

Naruto looked at his teammate, shocked. Had Sakura just swore? She was an angel, incapable of such foul language! Kakashi didn't respond to Sakura's remark, instead gesturing to the training ground. They followed him to a field where three logs resided. The logs were standing on their ends, high enough that one of the twelve year olds could easily be tied to it.

"Your genin test is to get these bells from me," Kakashi said, holding up two small, silver bells. "If you get them, you pass. If you don't, you fail. Simple as that."

"But Kakashi-sensei, there are only two bells, and three of us," Sakura noted.

"That's true. One of you will not be passing this test. You shall get sent back to the academy. If you do not get the bells by noontime, you will get tied to the logs behind you and watch as I eat your lunch."

"N-No lunch?!" Naruto stammered. "That's so unfair! And I didn't even eat breakfast..."

"You baka, that's why he told us not to eat breakfast! So we would be hungry!" Sakura retorted.

"Now, there is absolutely no chance of you getting these bells if you do not attack me with the intent to kill. Shuriken and kunai are allowed." And with that, Kakashi pulled out his orange book, before mellowly saying, "You may begin."

Sasuke and Sakura immediately jumped back into the trees. Naruto, however, stayed put, eying Kakashi warily. He ran forward, pulling his right arm back for a standard punch. Once he got into range, he thrusted forward. Kakashi blocked it easily. Naruto went in with a left hook; Kakashi blocked again. A left knee. Another block. A right high kick. This time, instead of blocking, Kakashi grabbed Naruto's foot and swung him over his head, throwing him a good distance away from himself.

"You done yet, blondie?" Kakashi asked.

Naruto growled. "No way!" He crossed his fingers, shouting, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Three clones appeared next to him. They all rushed the jounin, but Kakashi didn't even flinch. One by one, the clones disappeared with puffs of smoke, until only the real Naruto was left. Kakashi blocked his right jab, punched him in the gut, and kicked him away.

Up in the trees, Sasuke and Sakura were watching the duel. "What's he doing?" Sasuke muttered. "Doesn't the dobe realize there's no way he can take Kakashi-sensei by himself?"

Sakura nodded in agreement, before throwing some shuriken towards the silver-haired jounin. They hit their mark, but there was a poof. Kakashi was replaced by a log. "Kawarimi," the pinkette told herself.

Naruto had noticed the shuriken and Kakashi's replacement jutsu. He looked up at the tree, the shurikens' origin point. _So Sasuke and Sakura-chan are up there._

"**You do know that the point of this test is to see if the three of you can work together, right?" **The Kyuubi asked.

_Of course, why else would there be only two bells? I just wanted to vent my remaining anger at Akio. _Naruto countered. Not waiting for a response from the demon fox, Naruto jumped up to the tree in which Sasuke and Sakura were residing. He landed on the branch between them.

"Hey."

"You are such a baka!" Sakura hissed. "Why did you try to take on Kakashi-sensei by yourself?!"

"Venting," Naruto simply replied, glancing at her.

"So the dobe has anger management issues," Sasuke teased, smirking.

"At least I _have_ emotions!"

Sasuke's smirk was replaced by a frown.

"Now's not the time to fight," Sakura said, interrupted her teammates' feud. "We need to find out how to get the bells. We should work together. I have a feeling that's the true purpose of this test anyway; to see how well we work as a team. You guys want to stay as genin, right?"

Both of the males nodded.

"One of us should be a diversion," Naruto said. "That'll probably be me. I can distract Kakashi-sensei with my clones. While I'm fighting him, Sakura-chan will try to get him into a genjutsu. If it works, Sasuke, you'll go in for the bells. If not, use your ninjutsu and attempt to injure him."

The two other members of Team 7 could say they were mildly surprised. They hadn't expected Naruto able to create such a detailed plan. And it could actually work.

"Alright," Sasuke replied. "That might actually work. We have to find him first, though."

"There!" Sakura whispered, pointed to a tree to the left of them. Kakashi was leaning against the trunk, reading his book and giggling. "On the count of three, we move. One, two... three!"

All of the genin jumped away. Sasuke moved to the left, attempting to circle around Kakashi's position to prepare for a flanking attack. Sakura jumped to the right, trying to find a spot that had a good viewpoint. Meanwhile, Naruto jumped down, using the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu to create fifteen clones. They bee-lined for Kakashi's position. The jounin looked up, his lone eye widening slightly. He jumped away as the mob of Narutos landed, and formed several hand signs.

"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!" A large fireball formed and shot towards the Narutos. All but five of the clones were destroyed. The remaining eleven rushed towards Kakashi, who took up a stance and started to slowly defeat the clones. The number dwindled down to three clones, plus the real Naruto.

"Now, Sakura!" the blond shouted, dodging a fist aimed for his head. Sakura concentrated, but she had to dodge several shuriken, which interrupted her jutsu. Kakashi returned to battling the clones, the task of stopping the genjutsu accomplished. Naruto cursed and was about to call to Sasuke, but the Uchiha was one step ahead. He had seen the shuriken head for Sakura's position, and had already started his jutsu as a result.

"Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu!" Multiple fireballs shot towards Kakashi, who was now fighting only two Narutos. All three of the combatants jumped back to avoid the fire that consumed the ground they had been standing on only moments before.

Kakashi looked at the blaze before him, trying to figure out how he could stop the flames. He glanced behind him, eye widening when he spotted a lake. He jumped back and channeled chakra to his feet to stay afloat when he landed on the water.

"Suiton: Suishi no Jutsu!" A large spiraling stream of water shot out of the lake in front of Kakashi, heading straight for the fire that was continuing to grow in size. The stream hit the flames head-on, and soon the flaming ground was soaking wet. There was just one problem. When the jutsu hit the flames, it went through the fire, fully hitting Naruto, who was on the opposite side. He was propelled into a tree and fell to the ground, seemingly unconscious. Kakashi saw this and immediately canceled the jutsu. He held up his hands, signaling the fighting to end, before running over to Naruto. Sakura and Sasuke were already there, looking at his unmoving form. Kakashi kneeled down, checking for a pulse. Satisfied when he found one, he sighed and stood back up.

"Well, that was interesting," Kakashi said. "No real point in continuing the fight, considering Naruto is out cold."

Sasuke and Sakura looked at the ground, wondering if they had passed or failed.

Kakashi saw this, and spoke up again. "But, I'm happy to say that you all pass!" He eye-smiled and tossed the two genin the bells.

"Kakashi-sensei, was that test really meant to test our teamwork?" Sakura asked, before looking down at Naruto once again.

"It was. The bells were used to serve as motivation. I saw how you operated as a unit. Naruto was a distraction to keep me busy while Sakura tried to get me in a genjutsu. When that failed, Sasuke came into the fight with his ninjutsu. You guys actually did really well."

Sasuke nodded. "Naruto was actually the one who came up with the plan."

"Is that so..." Kakashi mumbled, rubbing his chin.

_**You might want to back up.**_

Almost immediately the three shinobi jumped back and took up defensive stances, kunai at the ready.

"Did you hear that, Kakashi-sensei?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes, I did, which means that it can't be anything good."

_**What, Naruto being conscious isn't good?**_

As if that was a cue, a red light enveloped Naruto, before spreading out around him. The light condensed into a thick horizontal red ring. Small lines stretched out from the inside of the ring, and connected to Naruto at his torso. The lines formed a small spiral over his stomach, before spreading out across the rest of his body. They spread across his arms, legs, neck, and face. Once the red lines had stopped moving, the connection they had to the red ring still surrounding Naruto severed. The ring dissipated, but the lines didn't.

Kakashi gasped. "They've outlined his chakra coils!" he said. Sasuke and Sakura looked closer when they heard this, and sure enough, the red lines completely traced his chakra network. There was a powerful pulse, one that almost knocked the shinobi over, before the lines faded into nothing. Naruto's eyes fluttered open, and he sat up. Rubbing the back of his head, he checked himself over before looking at his team. He smiled.

"That was awesome."

Sakura and Sasuke looked at him confusedly, but Kakashi jumped next to him. He leaned next to Naruto's ear, whispering, "We need to talk later."

Naruto's smile was replaced by a more serious expression. He nodded, fully understanding what Kakashi implied.

Kakashi stood up and turned to face the rest of his team. "Alright, since you are now officially genin, why don't we get something to eat?"

The blond's eyes went wide. "Y-You mean... we passed!?"

"Yes, Naruto," Kakashi replied. "You passed."

"YIPPIE!"

* * *

Team 7 walked down the streets of Konoha, all of its members in a happy mood. They were now a permanent team, one that would do missions and travel together. Their happy mood, however, was the result of different reasons. Sasuke was happy because he had successfully made genin, which was one step closer to being able to challenge and defeat his brother. Sakura was happy because now there was no way she would ever be separated from Sasuke. Kakashi was happy because he could now watch over his sensei's son and make the deceased leader proud. Naruto was happy because he had finally gotten friends that were as close to family as you could get.

They had just left Ichiraku's. At his insistence, Naruto had payed for the meals, which surprised everybody considering the blond was an orphan who had just been accepted into the shinobi ranks. He shouldn't have had any money, but when he opened his frog wallet it was stuffed full with riyo.

Their destination was the Hokage's office, where the team would hopefully get their first mission. Kakashi saw this time as a prime opportunity to ask Naruto about the incident in the training ground earlier. He slowed down until he was walking next to the blond.

"About the talk..." he started, speaking softly so Sasuke and Sakura wouldn't overhear them.

"You want to know what happened right?" Naruto replied.

Kakashi nodded. "I'm assuming it has to do with the Kyuubi?"

"Yeah. And I know what you're going to say. No, he didn't leak out. I let him do it. That voice you heard in your head? That was Kyuubi. He didn't want you to get burned by the ring."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. Since when did the Kyuubi no Yoko care about the safety of others? "He was worried?"

"He's a nice guy." Naruto said, shrugging. "He was just... influenced when he attacked Konoha. Otherwise, he wouldn't have even thought about it. Bijuu don't really like to cause trouble. Usually when they attack it's because either the ninja started it first or something had happened to provoke them. In the Kyuubi's case, it was the latter."

Kakashi stayed silent for several minutes, thinking about Naruto's words. "What about the seal?" he finally asked.

Naruto smirked. "There is no seal. Not anymore."

If Kakashi wasn't an incredibly experienced shinobi he would've fallen flat on his face from a combination of shock and fright. "W-What?! What do you mean there isn't a seal? What's preventing the fox from escaping? He could take over at any time or-"

"Sensei, sensei! Jeez, calm down. It's like you're having a heart attack!" Naruto sighed. "From the moment I could form a coherent thought, the Kyuubi was talking to me. He guided me, trained me in some basic taijutsu and strategy, and helped me through the... rough years. I told you before he's nice, right? Well, I meant it. After I had talked with him for a couple of years, I realized that there was no way he could have attacked Konoha on his own free will. When I saw the cage, I immediately ripped off the seal. The cage doors opened, and Kyuubi walked out. He stretched, said 'Thanks' and then asked me a question."

"And what was that question?"

Naruto smiled. "He says 'Where am I supposed to sleep?' So introduced him to a corner of my mind. I gave him permission to set up his own mini-world. It was the least I could do for all he did for me. You know what the mini-world looks like?"

Kakashi only shrugged. The only thing that made him believe Naruto's story was the well-known fact that Naruto never lied unless it was absolutely necessary. The jounin had been there during the Kyuubi attack. He saw the corpses, the rotting flesh of ninja he knew as friends. Naruto talked about the demon as if there were two of them, one evil and one good.

"It wasn't a wasteland filled with blood. It wasn't a pile of bodies, like most people would believe," Naruto continued. "It's an open field of green grass. The sky is blue and the sun shines brightly. It's warm and beautiful. There's an enormous tree in the middle of the field. The branches spread out far past the trunk, providing a great patch of shade. That's where Kyuubi likes to sleep and rest. The only thing that's unnatural is the portal. It acts like a window, providing a view through my eyes. What I see is what the Kyuubi sees through the portal. What I hear, he hears. I gave him the power to create anything he wanted, from food to changing the landscape to entertainment. His favorite food is popcorn, and he's actually a prankster. He's the one that gave me the suggestions for most of my pranks."

Kakashi stared straight ahead, before turning to look at Naruto. The blond's face was deathly serious. There was no smile, no winking, no outright laughing or saying "I tricked you". No, Naruto was telling the unbelievable truth. As Team 7 approached the Hokage Tower, the jounin realized that everything the village knew about the most powerful bijuu was a lie. And someone had given the Kyuubi a really bad reputation.

They were standing before the door to the Hokage's office a few minutes later. Kakashi knocked twice, and received a soft "Enter" as a reply. They walked into the office. Hiruzen's chair was turned around, the old man sitting in it looking out the window at the village.

"Hokage-sama," Kakashi spoke. "Team 7 reporting for its first official mission."

Hiruzen turned around, a small smile on his face as he looked over the genin. He locked eyes with Naruto for a few moments, before looking down at the mission forms on his desk. He found the paper he was looking for, it was a classic. He remembered when he assigned this mission to Kakashi's genin team, led by Namikaze Minato.

"It seems Tora the cat has escaped once again." he chuckled.

Kakashi took an involuntary step back. "Oh Kami."

There was a silence as the genin looked between their sensei and the Hokage, confusion written on their faces.

"Um, sensei?" Sakura asked. "Is there something we missed?"

Kakashi looked at his pupils. "Sorry guys," he said. "Your first mission is going to be a bruiser."

* * *

"Wait, there it goes!" Naruto shouted, pointing up into the trees.

"Don't let it get away, circle around and try to flank!" Sasuke replied. Naruto and Sakura nodded, before breaking off to the left and right, respectfully. Sasuke continued running straight ahead. He was determined; there was no way he was failing his first mission as a genin. The beast he was chasing leaped through the trees in front of him. The Uchiha would've never thought that this would be so difficult. They were chasing a feline for crying out loud! It had the agility of a trained shinobi, more than once it had eluded the team's grasp. Naruto broke through the treeline, shooting towards the target. The cat veered to the left as a response, running from the new enemy. Sakura jumped out in front of it, making a grab. Tora jumped down to the ground, where Sasuke was waiting. He lunged for it, but the cat jumped onto his head and used it as a springboard, jumping in the opposite direction and dashing back into the forest. The genin cursed, all three of them turning around and beginning the chase again.

They chased Tora out of the forest and into the village. They almost lost the feline in the clutter of villagers navigating the streets, but relocated her in an ally. The genin jumped down, thinking there wasn't any escape for the tricky cat. Naruto, impatient as always, rushed forward and tried to grab Tora. Seeing no escape, the cat instead retaliated, lashing out a the blond's face with sharp claws. The resulting spectacle was quite funny. Tora was rapidly clawing at Naruto's face, who was trying desperately to pry the cat off. Sasuke and Sakura dared not make a move, lest they be attacked as well. Better leave this to the dead-last. Naruto eventually managed to form the signs for the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, and two clones poofed into existence. They unlatched Tora from Naruto's face, and handed him to the original before poofing away. Evil feline securely in his grasp, Naruto turned to his teammates. Sakura broke out into a fit of laughter, and Sasuke managed a smirk.

"What?" Naruto asked, dumbly looking between the two. Sakura pulled a small mirror out of her equipment pouch between giggles and held it in front of Naruto, since his hands were busy holding Tora. He gasped when he saw the many cuts adorning his face, and glared at the restrained cat.

"Do you have the carrier?" he asked. Sasuke took out a sealing scroll and made a hand sign. A cat carrier appeared with a puff of smoke. Naruto quickly placed Tora inside, relieved to not be in any more danger.

"Alright," he said. "After this, we're _never_ doing another pet retrieval mission. Never."

Sasuke and Sakura both nodded in agreement, and they made their way back to the Hokage Tower, a whining feline captive safely in hand.

* * *

They entered the Hokage's office and placed the cat carrier on the desk. The owner, the Daimyo's wife, rushed forward, opened the cage, and pulled Tora into a tight hug. The cat squirmed, but was powerless to do anything against the woman's might.

Naruto leaned towards Sakura. "No wonder that cat wants to escape," he whispered. "That must be torture!"

"Don't talk about the Daimyo's wife like that!" Sakura hissed, whacking Naruto over the head. "She seems like a nice lady!" In her mind, though, she couldn't agree more.

Hiruzen marked the mission scroll complete and dismissed Team 7. As they walked out of the office, they could still hear the coos of the woman inside, and the cat's pained whines.

Sakura turned to Sasuke, about to say something, but was interrupted by the Uchiha's sharp "No." She sighed, was she really that obvious? Naruto saw how down she was. He never liked to see her sad.

"Hey, Sakura-chan..." he started. "You want to go get something to eat?" Sakura stopped, before turning and hitting him square in the face. He catapulted through the wall, out into the street below. Sakura didn't even reconsider her action, she just walked off.

Down below, Naruto had landed in the middle of the street. The villagers didn't even pay attention to him, their only acknowledgment of his existence were their steps over or around him.

"**Damn, Kit. She broke your nose!"**

_Yeah, that kinda hurt._

"**Why do you like her anyway? She hates you with a passion and only sees you as a hindrance to getting the Uchiha."**

_Because I promised her that I would be there for her. You remember that, right? When we were six._

"**Yeah, I remember. I can't believe she doesn't remember it. Well, she does, but now she thinks it was the Uchiha who protected her, not you."**

_It doesn't matter if she knows it was me or not. I promised her, and I never go back on my word._

"**You are so damn stubborn. That Hinata chick adores you in every way imaginable, and she's cute as well. Why don't you just hook up with her?"**

_You know as well as I do the reason why I can't. You're the one who told me! It's Sakura-chan or nothing. She's the key, and I know for a fact that she'll eventually like me. In the dream, she called me "Naruto-kun" and put her head on my shoulder. That wasn't an ordinary dream, that's a fact. It seemed like more of a vision. If something happens in a vision, then chances are it'll happen in the future. Right now, though, the least I can do is ease her pain at being constantly rejected._

"**Kit, I admire your dedication. Let's just hope your right. Like you, I can't go back on my word. Hakuboton is the key to the future, and I can't teach it to you until she falls for you. All of this is resting on her shoulders. All we can do is have faith."**


	4. Arc 1 Chapter 2: Shadow

This chapter... took a while, to say the least. I'm sorry it took this long, but I wanted to make everything as amazing as possible, especially since I got the vibe that last chapter was quite rushed. So, 18 pages later, I have finally finished the first half of the Wave mission. Normally, as I have seen in most other stories, the Wave chapter is mostly kept to canon. Well, Purge is not most other stories! I have taken it upon myself to tie the plot and all sorts of little goodies into this normally boring and rushed arc. There will also be questions at the end of this chapter, so feel free to answer them if you want to think a little bit. More about that in the ending A/N.

A big thank you to all of the reviewers who have commented on this story o' mine; the reception so far has been wonderful, far better than I would've expected. I apologize for keeping all of you waiting. But hey, I'm going to have loads of free time for two weeks! I'm hoping to get at least two chapters up.

Please remember, if you see anything at all you think needs improving, tell me. It helps me learn what I'm doing wrong and how I can improve.

The Disclaimer: You know, if I owned Naruto, Danzo would've been that guy that dies in the first five minutes of the series.

_**Purge**_

_Arc 1- Chapter 2: Shadow_

"_Begone, inglorious beast! The Kami has passed judgment on you, and the sentence is clear. You are forbidden from walking on this Earth ever again. I am the once to carry out the sentence, and I shall cast your body up to the highest depths of the cold sky, where you shall watch forever as this land prospers from the fires you have created. **Paaji!**"_

---

_One week later..._

Team 7 once again stood in front of the Hokage's desk. They were waiting for another mission, most likely a D-rank. That was all they were doing, but it wasn't much of a surprise to most of the team. After all, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke had only been genin for a full week. There was no way they could get anything more dangerous than walking dogs or weeding gardens, right?

No one talked as Hiruzen searched through papers to find a mission befitting the three genin. He layed eyes on a mission form, another D-rank.

"Let's see... this one is a mission to remove weeds in Takino-san's garden-"

"Now wait just a moment, Jii-san!" Naruto shouted. Everyone sighed. "Why can't we have something tougher? We should be going outside the village, kicking rogue ninjas' asses! If we keep doing these lame D-ranks, we'll never improve! How am I supposed to become Hokage if I never learn new skills or gain experience?"

Hiruzen pinched the bridge of his nose. "Well, Kakashi? Do you think they can handle a C-rank?"

"Well, they work together well enough... when they want to. I don't see why not," Kakashi replied, not taking his eyes off his book.

The Hokage nodded. "And what about you two?" he asked, referring to Sasuke and Sakura. The two genin nodded in approval of receiving the C-rank.

"We're ready," Sasuke said. "I want to see how much I've improved."

"If Sasuke-kun approves, then so do I," Sakura spoke. Naruto rolled his eyes. No matter what he did, he couldn't get over the sadness he felt when she said that.

"Alright then," Hiruzen replied. "Your mission will be Rank C. You will have to guard and escort a bridge builder back to his homeland, the Land of Waves. Once you are there, you will protect him from any problems you may encounter while he completes the bridge. There will be a slight threat from bandits, probably hired by the builder's competition to disrupt his work." He looked towards the door. "Tazuna-san, could you come in please?"

A man of about 60 stumbled into the room, tightly clutching a sake bottle. Tazuna had a white beard, white hair, and brown eyes. He had the look of a man who had been through bad times, someone who knew the experience of poverty and hopelessness. His eyes had that distant look to them, like the old man was looking back into the past, desperately trying to correct mistakes that had been done against his will. But that could've just been the sake working.

"Whatsh dishh?" he slurred, looking at the trio of genin, "I wanted good ninjers, and yoush give meh a couple'o bratsh?! I dema-" a hiccup, "I demand a refund!"

Naruto glared up at the man angrily, fire burning in his eyes. Brats? Not a good ninja?! "Wait just a damn minute here, you old geezer!" he started, "How dare you call me-" He was cut off as Kakashi's hand clamped over his mouth. Just for good measure, he put his other hand on Naruto's shoulder, preventing him from taking any actions he might regret in the future.

Sarutobi sighed for probably the umpteenth time that morning, he really was getting too old for the job. "Don't worry, Kakashi-san, we'll make sure he isn't drunk for the journey. I'm sure he doesn't always behave like this."

Kakashi nodded slightly before turning towards the door. "Sakura, Sasuke, let's go," he called, pushing Naruto towards the exit. The blond had initially struggled against his sensei's grasp, but eventually resorted to glaring at the man he would have to protect for the duration of the mission. He was beginning to regret asking for a C-rank.

~F.R.L~

"I still can't believe I'm being protected by a bunch of brats."

Naruto rolled his eyes. Apparently Sarutobi was sorely mistaken when he said Tazuna acted differently sober. Yeah, bullshit. The old man was still complaining about his protection. After all, it wasn't like there was going to be any trouble, right? Just a couple of damn bandits.

The team had just left the main gates, and were setting out on the journey to Wave. They were forced to walk the main roads, since Tazuna obviously wasn't a ninja. Nothing had happened during the meeting. Sasuke was being an emo bastard, Kakashi was reading his porn, Sakura was fawning over previously mentioned emo bastard, and Naruto was _still _glaring at the man they were supposed to protect. Tazuna paid him no attention, he was too busy thinking to himself.

"**Something's up. That old man is being too quiet, like he knows something but won't say. Keep on your guard, Kit."**

Naruto nodded, beginning to look around for any suspicious activity. Kyuubi was enhancing his senses, providing him with more awareness of his surroundings. Sakura had noticed the nod Naruto seemingly gave himself, and was looking at him with a cocked eyebrow. It was a look that clearly spoke the message "Your such a weirdo." She looked at him a moment longer, wondering why he was paying so much attention to the trees and sky, but shook it off and went back to dreamily staring at Sasuke.

Neither of them noticed the puddle on the ground. Kakashi did, though, and he knew there hadn't been rain for at least a week. That puddle shouldn't have been there, but apparently the genin were just to young to realize that, or they hadn't just noticed it in general. Kakashi sighed to himself, why couldn't he just have a normal mission? He turned back to his book, reading on to keep up the disguise. He didn't have to feign stupidity for long, though, as soon there was a puff of smoke and two ninja appeared where the puddle had once been. The shinobi had to be at least chuunin in rank. They both wore air masks and had long black hair. They wore gauntlets, one had it on his left arm, the other on his right. Their hitai-ites bore the sign of Kirigakure.

Kakashi looked at them briefly, before pulling out a black book. He casually flipped to a page and put his finger down to mark his decision. "The Demon Brothers, Gozu and Meizu. B-rank missing-nin, defected from Kirigakure no Sato after a failed assassination attempt on the Mizukage." He shut the book, and stored it back in his pocket in one swift motion. "So," he continued, "why are you-"

Kakashi was cut off as the two brothers put their gauntlets together. When they pulled apart, a long chain had formed between them. As soon as they fully separated, the brothers rushed Kakashi, and wrapped him in the chain before he had a chance to react. They pulled, and the genin watched in helpless horror as their sensei was shredded before their very eyes.

Sasuke didn't react. He had witnessed death too many times, it had plagued his mind for all his childhood. What just happened only made him remember, reminded him of his brother. Reminded him of the death.

Sakura wanted to scream. She really did. Her sensei had just erupted in a shower of blood, dead and gone. The only thing preventing her from shrieking and running was the passage in the Academy textbook that covered the death of a teammate. It said that you had to be strong when it happened, and Sakura knew running was cowardly. Still, she was terrified.

Naruto had been further back than Sakura and Sasuke, who were up front, and had a very different reaction. He was frozen. His heart was pounding in his ears, and he swore he could taste his own blood. He honestly thought he was going to die, but, then again, he had thought that for all his life.

"**Damn it, Kit! You gotta _move!_" **

The Kyuubi's voice broke through in his head, and the blond forced himself to swallow his fear. He saw Sakura shaking and approached her. He stopped when he was standing right next to her, and, leaning in her ear, he whispered, "Stay back and protect Tazuna-san." Sakura shakily nodded and fell back to protect the old man, who was currently cowering behind a tree.

Naruto glanced back to make sure they were at a safe distance, before turning to Sasuke. "Sasuke, let's move!" The other boy glanced at him, nodded, and they both broke out into a sprint, rushing towards the chuunin. Naruto moved towards the one on the right, the one named Gozu. He threw some shuriken, but Gozu leaned to his right, letting the blades pass harmlessly. Trying a new approach, Naruto attempted to engage him in taijutsu. He threw a punch aimed at his stomach, but Gozu raised his leg and blocked. He then grabbed Naruto's arm with his free hand, raised him into the air, and then slammed him into the ground. Naruto coughed and wheezed, the air knocked out of him. The chuunin raised his foot, attempting to curb stomp Naruto's face, a possibly killing blow. The blond recovered, though, and rolled, dodging Gozu's attack.

Naruto got back on his feet, and glanced over at Sasuke. The raven-haired boy appeared to be on the defensive, dodging Meizu's swipe with his free right hand. Instead of continuing the attack, though, Meizu stopped, and hit a switch on his gauntlet. The chain connecting the two brothers released fell to the ground. They now had both of their gauntlets free, and could effectively engage the genin in one-on-one combat.

That was bad, and to make it worse Meizu and Gozu had jumped together, so they were back to back. That meant they could cover each other.

Sasuke was thinking. That armor they were wearing looked metallic. More like steel, to be precise, and Sasuke knew steel was flammable. That gave him an idea. He looked over to Naruto, who seemed to have come to the same realization. The raven-haired boy thought back to their Academy spar, when Naruto said he was holding back. Hopefully that meant he knew some Futon techniques. He glanced at the blond again, meeting his gaze. Naruto nodded, and Sasuke returned it with a nod of his own. They both shot off towards the chuunin again, who were still back to back, looking at the genin. Instead of running straight towards them, however, Naruto and Sasuke ran around them to their sides, each doing hand signs. Gozu and Meizu each swiped at the one closest to them, but the genin dodged. They skidded to a stop when their formation was like a sandwich: Naruto and Sasuke were on the outside, Gozu and Meizu were in between them.

"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!"

"Futon: Daitoppa!"

The two jutsu hit the chuunin, who brought their hands up to cover their faces. There was a grand explosion as the two techniques met, the air from the Daitoppa instantly combusting from the fireball of the Gokakyu. When the dust cleared, the Demon Brothers were no more, a small crater where they once stood.

The genin took their eyes off the crater when they heard clapping coming from a nearby tree. They gasped when Kakashi jumped down, his lone eye raised into a smile. "Well done!" he said, "Sasuke, Naruto, you two performed marvelously."

The two students receiving the praise did not answer, the only sign of recognition the continuous stares they gave their sensei. "How are you still alive!?" Naruto asked.

"I performed an escape technique when the chains wrapped around me, and I didn't interfere because I wanted to know how you three performed when faced with the death of a teammate or sensei. You passed with flying colors!" the jounin then turned to Tazuna, "You have an explanation for this, I assume?"

The older man closed his eyes and slowly rubbed his forehead, as if trying to ward off a headache. When he opened his eyes again, they were filled with a torrent of emotions; anger, sadness, grief, but the most prominent was despair. "The Land of Waves was always a prosperous country," he started, "We had plenty of food, good weather, a good economy, and a strong sense of unity among the people. That all went to hell three years ago. A cheap bastard named Gato came to Wave and wreaked havoc on our way of life. He took over the shipping industry and formed a monopoly, and then drived our economy into dust by charging obscenely high prices for everything. The hardest hit, though, was the food market. As you know, the Land of Waves is an island country, and a small one at that. We have to import all of our food because of the terrain and size. With Gato controlling the imports and exports, he could raise the prices of food as much as he wanted. There was no way to change it, because he killed most of our most well-known citizens as an example. As if to stress the point, he even hired missing-nin to carry our his little deeds."

Tazuna paused, rubbing his head with even more vigor, trying to find a way out of the storm of emotions he was currently experiencing. "Those two guys you just killed were hired by him to kill me. I'm a _bridge builder_! The bridge I'm building is meant to connect Wave to the mainland, so we don't have to rely on the shipping. Since Gato won't be able to control the imports and exports that cross the bridge, the price of food will drop, and the citizens won't have to get by on scraps. That's why I had to get ninja for a C-rank, when this would probably have cost an A-rank or B-rank. We don't have any money, so I couldn't afford it."

Team 7 listened to Tazuna's story all the way through, not even stopping him to ask questions. It was clear that the man was desperate to save both himself and his country, and turning back now would only cause the Land of Waves more suffering at the hands of Gato.

"Well, what do you guys want to do?" Kakashi asked, turning to his students, "We could turn back now, since it is clear that this mission is out of our league, or we could stay and see this through to the end."

Naruto was the first, and only, to respond. "We'll go. I'll go by myself if I have to, and I'll swat that man like the fly he is!" The other genin nodded in agreement, and Kakashi gave an eye-smile.

"There you have it, Tazuna-san. We'll help you build your bridge," he said, proud of his students' courage. Tazuna smiled, muttering a thanks in return, and the group once set off to their destination. They walked for some time in comfortable silence, and watched as the sky grew dark, the sun setting behind the canopy of the green forest. The fight with the Demon Brothers had been time consuming, even though it seemed like it had lasted only a few minutes. Aware of the consequences that lack of sleep brought, Kakashi gave the order to set up camp.

Time continued to pass by, the sky revealing the bright specks of light that dotted the heavens. There were still some lingering clouds, seemingly drawn to the eery glow of the moon. The travelers shivered as they looked up at the orb, it really was weird.

The watches were set up before everyone collapsed into sleep. Kakashi obviously had the first watch, Sasuke was given the second, and Naruto the third and final. The genin and Tazuna had set in for the night, leaving Kakashi to think in peace. He couldn't help but think something was off. _Probably that damn moon, _he thought, gazing up at the glowing orb. For twelve years, the moon had been, in the words of the Konoha villagers, "acting crazy". This "craziness" came down to one fact only: the color. The moon was supposed to be white, pure and glowing, and it had always been like that. But, on October 10th (coincidence?), the moon had been _glowing red. _Not soon after, the Kyuubi no Yoko attacked the village. The next night, however, the moon had taken a decidedly blue hue. It had been happening for twelve years now, but on random nights. Normally the moon was white. Every so often, though, the moon would glow those two unnatural colors. There also hadn't been a new moon for twelve years. The moon normally shifted between phases, as everybody knew. After October 10th, though, the moon hadn't passed the "new moon" phase, where the orb's dark side was fully revealed. It shifted between crescents, passing over the phase like it had never existed. Tonight was truly strange though, and anyone who wasn't color blind could understand why.

The full moon was glowing both blue _and _red. The left side had taken the color of bold red, the light shining vibrantly through the clouds that covered it. The right side, however, was shining magnificent blue. Both colors intersected in the middle of the moon, rotating around each other like a whirlpool until they combined into a glowing purple. Kakashi had never seen anything like it, and honestly thought the amazing display was unnatural, unusual, and just plain scary.

"What's up with the moon?" The voice wasn't Kakashi's, and he immediately entered a defensive stance, his lone eye intently locked on the area from which the voice had spoken.

"Relax, Kakashi-san. It's me."

Kakashi did indeed relax, once he saw who the man was. "Yoshirou-san?"

Yoshirou's features were altered by the moon's peculiar glow, giving him a mystical appearance. His gaze dropped from the shining orb to look at the copy-nin. "Hey," he started, "How's the mission going?"

"I knew someone was following us, but I couldn't lock on the his chakra signature. You should know how the mission is going. I'm assuming you came without orders from the Hokage?"

Yoshirou nodded, "He had given me a small vacation anyway, and I wanted to see the gaki in action." His eyes suddenly grew hard, his face serious. "You and I both know who the Demon Brothers worked for, Kakashi-san. If he shows his damnable face, the fight is _mine._"

Kakashi cocked a brow. "Bad blood?"

Yoshirou only nodded in response before getting up and jumping back into the trees. It wouldn't do any good if the genin or Tazuna knew someone was tailing them. Yoshirou would only show his face if he needed to. Kakashi diverted his gaze back to the unnatural moon. This mission was getting more and more interesting.

The rest of the night was uneventful. No enemy ninja attacked, and everyone was rested well enough to continue the journey the next morning. They packed up camp and headed out once again around 7 AM, unsure of what difficulties they would encounter. The group walked for several more days. They would have gotten there in two more days traveling at normal speed, but were forced to move at a civilian's pace because of Tazuna. Eventually, though, they did reach the coast. The road moved to the coastline, so the genin were amazed when they saw the vast ocean. It was the first time they had seen the sea, and they tried to imprint the beautiful picture in their minds.

They were interrupted, though, when a large sword was flung at their faces. They successfully dodged, and the sword slammed into a tree. A couple of seconds later, a tall man appeared on the blade, a homicidal glint in his dull eyes. The lower half of his face was covered in bandages, and he appeared to be lacking eyebrows. There were two belt-like straps crossing over his bare chest, and he wore camouflaged arm bracers and pants.

Kakashi's eye narrowed. "Momochi Zabuza, the Demon of the Hidden Mist."

"Well, if it isn't the Copy-nin, Hatake Kakashi. Seems like I was hired for a reason," Zabuza replied, his eyes locking with Kakashi's. "Please, accept my invitation to this battle."

"I accept. Like I have a choice." As if to seal the deal, Kakashi lifted up his slanted hitai-ite, revealing his scarred left eye. He opened it, revealing....

"T-The Sharingan!" Sasuke gasped, clearly shocked at seeing his clan's infamous kekkei genkai.

"The Sharingan...?" Naruto had heard of it before because of the Kyuubi, but he had never seen it.

"**Yes, that's the damnable Sharingan. It makes me angry just looking at it, but what's stranger is that Kakashi is a Hatake. They can't inherit the Sharingan, it's an Uchiha-only kekkei genkai. Your sensei is full of surprises, Kit." **Naruto only dumbly nodded his head as he stared at Kakashi's left eye.

"So, I see you're taking this seriously," Zabuza said, unimpressed, "Very well then, so shall I." With that, the missing-nin jumped off of his sword, pulling it from the tree in the process. As soon as his feet touched the ground he lunged at Kakashi, who had already pulled out a kunai. Metal met metal, and the two shinobi locked together. Zabuza used the weight of his massive sword, though, and pushed Kakashi away from himself, before going in for a horizontal slash. Kakashi back-flipped away from the strike and threw his kunai, which Zabuza dodged effortlessly. The sword-wielder jumped back and performed several hand signs.

"Kirigakure no Jutsu!" A thick mist creeped into the area, obscuring everyone's vision. Even Kakashi's Sharingan couldn't see through the mist, and he went on the defensive as he waited for Zabuza's attack. A voice reached Kakashi's ears, but he couldn't pinpoint the location.

"So many victims, which one should I kill first? Which location on their body should my sword penetrate? The jugular, the temple, one of the many tempting pressure points, a major artery. I could kill you all with a flick of my wrist, and yet I let you live. Why? Mercy is for the weak." The genin had heard Zabuza's voice, and they were desperately trying to keep their cool. This opponent, they realized, was several levels above them. There was a swipe at Kakashi's torso, and he dodged just in time. A few more seconds and he would met a gruesome death. He noticed, as he jumped, that he was angled to land on the water. He channeled chakra to his feet and landed on the waves, once again falling into a defensive stance. Kakashi was shocked, however, when he realized he had fallen into Zabuza's trap.

"Suiro no Jutsu." A large sphere of water enveloped Kakashi completely, sealing him from the outside world. The mist dispersed, revealing a very smug Zabuza with one arm in the sphere. Kakashi knew that this was what he wanted. Sealing him off would leave the genin and Tazuna defenseless.

"Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto! Take Tazuna and run!" Kakashi shouted, fearing for the safety of his companions. Instead of running, though, the genin grabbed Tazuna and jumped back into the bushes, obviously planning on formulating a strategy.

Zabuza gave an emotionless laugh. "So the little children are planning on taking me on. Let's see what they- OOF!"

Hidden behind the bushes, the genin were trying to come up with a plan to take down Zabuza.

"What do we do?!" Sakura hissed, "Kakashi-sensei's been trapped, and we clearly can't take on someone of that caliber!"

"Well, we have to try!" Naruto replied, "Our sensei's depending on us, and we have to protect Tazuna-san!"

Sasuke was about to say something, but was interrupted as the enemy they were discussing flew past them and impacted a tree. Team 7 looked out from their hiding place in curiosity, and gasped at what they saw. Standing a little behind Kakashi, fist outstretched, was Najime Yoshirou. He locked eyes with Zabuza, who was currently a little wobbly getting up. He spoke with utmost detest clear in his voice.

"Momochi."

Zabuza recognized the man instantly, his eyes going wide for a second, before ultimately narrowing and showing a hint of amusement. "Is that you, Najime-sensei? How's life been treating you?" he mocked.

"Shut it and prepare yourself," Yoshirou growled, falling into an offensive stance. "Today the Academy students will finally be avenged."

"Still moping over that little incident? I was only _ten_, Najime-sensei." He stretched out his arms, his sword at a diagonal angle. He gestured to Yoshirou, who pulled out a scroll. He unraveled it and smeared his blood across the paper. There was a puff of smoke, and a large zanbato fell into Yoshirou's waiting right palm.

"I see you chose Kubikiri Hocho. A wise choice indeed, but have you surpassed my technique, Momochi?"

Zabuza said nothing, only rushing his former sensei. He did a downward chop, but Yoshirou easily parried the blow and countered with one of his own. Zabuza dodged the horizontal swing, jumping back just in time. He threw a kunai, Yoshirou deflected it off his blade and rushed at him. They both attacked at the same time, their swords locked against each other in a desperate struggle of wills. Team 7 watched in awe as the two men flung the massive swords around as if they were made of paper, the harsh sound of metal on metal drowning out all other noise. Yoshirou pushed Zabuza back, threw a few shuriken as a distraction, and jumped onto the water. He went through multiple hand signs in a blur.

"Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu!" The water immediately in front of Yoshirou started rippling violently. Before Zabuza could react, a large column of water had swept him off his feet, tossing him around in the current like a rag doll. He did the only thing he could and drove Kubikiri into the ground, grasping the hilt tightly. The powerful blast soon died down, leaving a thoroughly drenched Zabuza gasping for air. Yoshirou didn't give him any time to rest, running at him with his zanbato held at his side. Zabuza managed to get onto a knee and pried his sword from the ground, before going into a defensive stance, Kubikiri held out loosely in front of him. Yoshirou swung vertically, and Zabuza's arm shook as the blow struck his sword. He was losing this battle, and he knew it. He had to come up with a plan fast. He saw Yoshirou swing his zanbato horizontally, and instead of blocking as before, he rolled beneath the blade and flipped back onto the water, performing a myriad of hand signs in the process. As soon as he landed, he shouted the technique.

"Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu!" The water around Zabuza collected into concentrated columns and rose several feet into the air, before combining into a larger, more volatile stream. The water then took the form of a dragon, and shot towards Yoshirou. He attempted to dodge, and almost succeeded, had it not been for the water dragon's homing capabilities. The dragon shot underneath Yoshirou when he jumped, and turned around to hit him while he was still in midair. Yoshirou took the full force of the attack, getting propelled across the battlefield. The dragon redirected the caught man towards the ground, and his impact formed a small crater.

"Onii-san! C'mon onii-san, get up! Show that creep who's boss!" Naruto shouted towards his fallen companion, desperately praying that he was okay. He sighed in relief, though, when Yoshirou dissolved into a pool of water.

Zabuza growled, it had been a damn water clone! That meant that all of his efforts to incapacitate his old sensei had failed. He resumed a stance, looking around for any signs of movement. When he found none, he grew impatient, and started searching for a way to draw his enemy out into the open. He managed to stifle a heartless laugh when the answer dawned on him. That blond idiot had called Najime "onii-san", which meant they had a strong bond... and that the genin could be used. He shouldered Kubikiri and looked menacingly over at Naruto, leaking out a fair amount of killer intent. Naruto visibly flinched and paled as it hit him, and Zabuza broke out into a run. Even it Yoshirou didn't intercept him and he was wrong, it still would be a good kill.

"Naruto, watch out!" a girl shrieked.

_W-was that Sakura?_ Naruto thought, surprised.

A large amount of chakra was unleashed, and Zabuza shouted out in surprise as he was propelled back several feet. Naruto peeked open eyes he had unconsciously shut.

_Thanks, Fox._

"**Eh, don't mention it. Can't let you die, right?"**

While his teammates looked at Naruto in slight shock, Zabuza was busy pulling himself together, his sword reattached to his back. He was planning on making a hasty retreat, this battle just wasn't going in his favor. The missing-nin was lifted against his will though, and he opened his eyes to see Yoshirou staring at him hatefully. He was then thrown through the air, only to hear his sensei's voice.

"Suiton: Suikodan no Jutsu!" A large water shark shot out of the ocean behind Yoshirou's position, and flew towards Zabuza. It hit him head on and propelled him into a nearby tree. Zabuza hit it badly, knocked unconscious from the blow. Yoshirou approached him slowly, preparing to finish him off once and for all. He was beaten to the punch as several senbon flew into Zabuza's neck. A hunter-nin flashed into existence next to the seemingly dead shinobi.

"I apologize for interrupting your fight, but Momochi Zabuza is wanted by the Mizukage and Kirigakure," the ANBU said, before hefting Zabuza and disappearing. The entrance and exit was so sudden Yoshirou and Team 7 hadn't had time to react. The tension melted away, though, as they realized their enemy was gone. Yoshirou sighed, now he would have to go into a long and arduous explanation detailing how he knew Zabuza, why he called him sensei, and all that crap. Oh boy.

"Way to go, onii-san!" Naruto yelled, giving him a toothy smile and a thumbs-up.

"Well, well. That was quite interesting, to say the least," Kakashi calmly spoke, reaching into a pouch and pulling out his orange book. Sasuke and Sakura just looked at him in dumbfounded awe. _So that's how a real shinobi fights_, Sasuke thought. _I must get him to train me! My skills will improve tenfold!_

Tazuna's sweat covered head poked out from behind a tree. "I-is it over?" he asked, clearly scared by the sudden turn of events. It was hard to believe that Zabuza guy had been hired to kill him.

Yoshirou sighed again. "Well, it looks like I've officially become part of this mission. Let's get to Wave, I'll explain everything there."

The squad walked until they got to a small coastal town. They had decided upon entering that it would be best to continue into the Land of Waves, considering how close it was. They approached the town's dock, where a small paddle boat sat waiting for the travelers. It was just big enough to fit them all, but Naruto and Sasuke had to pitch in rowing the damn thing. The guy required to do the job was struggling a little with Yoshirou's additional 220 pounds. The team disembarked upon reaching Wave's dock. They gasped when they saw the conditions of the town. There was trash everywhere. People, _children_, were begging for food. Team 7 looked around confusedly, there was certainly a plentiful amount of food in the small stands. They were appalled, though, when they saw the prices.

"How can food be that expensive?!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing in shock at an overpriced apple.

"That's what Gato has done here," Tazuna grimly replied, "Our economy is dead, that's why you see so many beggars wandering around." He made a wide sweeping motion around the group. "The last of our money went to funding the bridge I'm building. The construction site is over there." He gestured to a large, nearly completed bridge off in the distance, about two miles away.

Kakashi nodded, "We'll do everything we can, Tazuna-san. Right now, though, I think it would be good if we rested. I have a feeling Zabuza isn't as dead as we think."

"Then please, accept my invitation to my home," the old man said, "It is the least I can do to repay you and your team."

They walked through the village, noticing how the villagers glanced towards them with something akin to fear; and possibly, if you looked deep enough, a hint of hope. They followed the dirt road for another mile out of town, before Tazuna led them off onto a far more obscure route. After another five minutes they reached a well-built colonial. It was small, but that made sense since the Land of Waves was in such bad shape. They entered through the front door, wiping off their shoes and sandals on the small rug.

"Tsunami, Inari! We have visitors!" Tazuna yelled into the kitchen. Immediately a woman's head poked out behind the kitchen's entrance, a small smile on her face. She had black hair, and eyes that told of immense pain and sadness. Naruto knew her smile was fake, just like his own.

"Oh, hi otou-san!" she said, drawing her gaze away from her father and to the five ninja behind him, "I see you brought shinobi! That's wonderful! Are you guys from Konoha?"

"Yes," Kakashi replied, "We've been hired by your father to... exterminate some pests."

Tsunami's smile instantly disappeared, and she spoke in a much quieter, gloomier voice. "So, you know about Gato?"

Kakashi nodded. "Yes. We will do everything we can to help you and your country," he spoke softly.

There was a pause of silence, before Tsunami perked up, eager to change the dismal mood that had taken hold. "Oh! Let me go introduce you to my son, Inari!" She vanished into the kitchen, her voice calling through the house, "Inari! Come and meet the guests!" The others followed her in, waiting the arrival of the child.

A small pair of feet was heard pounding down the stairs, and a boy of eight entered the kitchen. "What is it, okaa-san?" he innocently asked. His eyes were soon drawn to the five unfamiliar faces, and, more specifically, their foreheads. His eyes darkened. "Oh. Ninja," he sneered. "Come to get yourselves killed?"

Naruto growled, not exactly liking the boy's tone. "Hey, watch yourself kid!" he shouted. He would've gone further, but Yoshirou's hand on his shoulder silenced him.

"We're here to help, Inari-kun," he replied.

"There's nothing you can do!" Inari shouted, "You can't stand up to Gato. You're on a suicide mission, so if you value your lives you should just turn back. Give up and go home!"

Naruto's eyes widened. "Give up?" he whispered. "Give up?" He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, his fists clenched together so tightly blood ran down his hands. The others eyed him with curiosity.

"**Stay calm, Kit, stay calm. Block him out if you have to."**

Naruto opened his eyes and nodded, his eyes dim and haunted. Kakashi cocked a brow. _Why did he spontaneously nod? Was he..._ Kakashi shivered at his thought. Even if what Naruto told him was true, he still found it disturbing that the blond could possibly communicate with the fox.

"Why don't we go out for a little training," he said, eager to break the thick tension. "I have something I want to teach you three." The genin nodded, and he lead them out through the front again and into the forest. They didn't go far, stopping at three tall trees.

"You are going to learn how to climb trees," he spoke. The genin shrugged, nothing complicated about that. "Without your hands," Kakashi continued.

Sasuke and Sakura's eyes widened slightly. Surprisingly enough, Naruto stayed calm, as if he had heard of this before. "But Kakashi-sensei," Sakura spoke, "that's impossible! Gravity forbids it, and..." She stopped as she saw Kakashi calmly walk up a tree. No, seriously. He _walked up a tree._ The jounin stopped halfway, walking onto a branch upside down. He looked to his students down below, two of their mouths agape.

"Channel chakra to your feet," Kakashi said, "The chakra will act like glue and keep you stuck to the tree. This exercise takes a precise amount of control. Too much and you'll shoot off the tree like a rocket. Too little and you won't be able to stay stuck. You'll fall off, and that's pretty painful. I have first hand experience," he continued, chuckling. He then cut the chakra flow to his feet, and fell off the branch. He landed on his feet after performing a flip and righting himself in midair.

"Erm... Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, not so much embarrassed as bored.

"Hm?"

Naruto didn't reply, only walking up the tree himself. When he got to the same branch Kakashi was on, he stopped. "I kind of learned this myself, like a month ago."

"Did Yoshirou-san teach you?"

Naruto nodded, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Very well. You don't have to do this exercise. Feel free to practice your taijutsu or ninjutsu or something while Sakura and Sasuke do this."

"Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked. Kakashi looked over, only to find Sakura on another tree, at the same height as Naruto.

"Uh... Sakura?"

"I did it."

Kakashi sighed. What was the point of teaching them anything if they already knew it? _Wait, only Naruto said he knew it. That means... _He looked over at Sakura, a feeling of pride overcoming him. _Wow. That's some pretty damn impressive chakra control, to be able to get it on her first try._ "Alright, you and Naruto are both excused. Sasuke, get going."

Sasuke nodded, running up the other tree. He channeled chakra to his feet, but fell back onto the ground after the first two steps. _Not enough chakra, _he thought. He ran up the trunk again, this time falling after five.

"Here," Kakashi said. Sasuke caught the kunai deftly, looking at it curiously. "Use that to mark your progress. Cut a slash into the bark at your highest point, then try again."

Sasuke nodded, glaring at the tree with a determined gleam in his eyes. He let out a confident yell, running up the tree. He made it up ten steps, then slashed his kunai through the bark. He landed on his feet and tried again. Thirteen steps, slash. Again. Seventeen steps.

Naruto and Sakura were sitting against a tree, looking at Sasuke's repetitive movements. It had been two hours since Sasuke had started, and he still hadn't reached the top of the tree. Kakashi had long since gone inside, telling Sasuke to report back to him when he completed the task. Naruto and Sakura had stuck around, being good teammates and watching his progress.

"Wow, he sure is trying," Sakura spoke.

"Yeah, but he's running out of gas," Naruto replied. Indeed, Sasuke was slowing down in his pace, an angry, drained look on his face. _Why is this so hard?! _He thought. _Damn it, I gotta try harder!_ He yelled once more, but this time his progress was reduced to nine steps, instead of his previous high of twenty-six, which was a little more than three-fourths up the tree. _Kami, I need to do this!_

"Calm down, kid." It wasn't Naruto's voice, nor was it Kakashi's. Sasuke looked behind him to see Yoshirou, his arms crossed and dark green eyes staring into his own.

"Focus. Didn't the Uchiha always pride themselves on their chakra control? This is no different. Think of the Gokakyu no Jutsu. Think of forming the chakra in your mouth, how you need to willingly shape it and control it, how you keep it constant. Now, do it with your feet, except use the amount you think you need. Remember your past experiences, and how much chakra you used to get up to a certain height. Adjust accordingly, and focus."

Sasuke listened to his words attentively. When he was done speaking, the young Uchiha turned back towards the tree. He replayed Yoshirou's words in his head. _Focus. Shape the chakra to your feet. Adjust the amount accordingly, and maintain it. Now, carefully..._ Instead of running up like he did before, Sasuke slowly put one foot on the tree, then the other. He kept his pace reasonable, focusing on maintaining his chakra dispersion and amount. Twenty seconds later, he passed his current high of twenty-six. Seven seconds after that, he made it to the top of the tree, and drove his kunai deep into the bark, then removed a large chunk of the tree with a powerful swipe. He fell down to the ground. He landed a little sloppy but quickly recovered and looked up at Yoshirou. The man nodded to him, and retreated back into the house.

Naruto looked at Yoshirou's retreating form proudly. "Leave it to onii-san," he whispered.

"Naruto, Sakura, come on," Sasuke called, already making his way back to the home. "It's getting late, and I think dinner is ready." The others nodded and got up from their positions under the tree and followed Sasuke inside.

Dinner started off relatively peaceful. Everyone, save Naruto and Inari, were participating in their own conversations. Sakura was fawning over Sasuke, Yoshirou, Kakashi, Tsunami, and Tazuna were all engaged in a four-way talk over the current economic status of Wave.

And then Inari heard Tazuna say the sentence "You're our only hope."

"Hope?!" he blurted, "What hope is there?! You ninja are just going to get yourselves killed out there. Gato will gut you alive and mount your heads on sticks! You should all just give up and go home. That's the only way you'll live."

A loud banging was heard, and everyone turned to see Naruto seething, his clenched fist on the table. A small dent had formed from where it hit the wood. "Shut up, kid! Giving up will get you killed, not save your life! If you just have a little hope-"

"WHAT DO YOU KNOW!" Inari shouted, tears springing up in his eyes, "You have no idea how it feels, how much it hurts to be alone and hopeless!"

Naruto fell silent, his eyes distant and pained. He abruptly and violently got up and made his way to the door. "Excuse me while I go hit something. Thanks for the meal, Tsunami-san. It was great." With that, he quickly left the house, running into the dark forest. Inari went to get up, but Kakashi's voice stopped him.

"Stay here, Inari-kun. You need to hear this. You all do." He looked to everyone else, excluding Yoshirou. He already knew the story.

"With all do respect, Kakashi-san, I think I should be the one to tell the tale. I was there for most of his... experiences," Yoshirou replied, sighing. Kakashi nodded.

Yoshirou rubbed his temples before starting. He lifted his eyes to make contact with Sasuke. "We might as well start this with a little comparison. Sasuke, take what happened to you, multiply it by one hundred, and relive it every day of your life. And then have all the villagers blame you for the incident. That's Naruto's childhood." Both Sasuke and Sakura gasped. Everyone had heard of the Uchiha Massacre, and the entire Academy class had thought it was the worst thing in the world. Nothing was more terrible than what Sasuke had experienced.

"For the first twelve years of his life, Naruto was beaten, taunted, and bullied for something he didn't do. Something that was out of his control, and yet the villagers still saw him as the cause. Do you know how I first found him as a newborn baby?" They shook their heads negatively. "I found him in a crib, in an apartment building, with five villagers holding a variety of makeshift weapons busting into the room. They wanted his blood, and I was forced to incapacitate them. He was a _newborn baby._ When I went to inquire why they hadn't kept him in the hospital, guess what they said? They didn't 'want that scum tainting the hospital'."

Even Kakashi was disturbed by this news. He had known Naruto was beaten, but as a baby? That had been withheld from him, and for good reasons. If he had been the one to see the villagers, they would have been dead, not unconscious.

"I had to keep a constant eye on the boy. There was, at the very least, one attack per week. When he turned five, he was given his own apartment, much to the chagrin of the complex owner. All of Naruto's neighbors moved out, wanting nothing to do with the boy. The day after Naruto received the home, he returned, after running for his life from a mob, to find it completely trashed. The furniture was slashed, the fridge empty of any and all edibles, and his clothing still burning in his bedroom. When Naruto showed the complex owner the disaster area, the man promptly punched him across the face and yelled, 'What the hell did you do to the room?! I should kick you out!' Then Naruto was forced to repair it on his own. I paid for the costs, it was the least I could do to help him out. That is how Naruto's life had been for twelve years. Beatings, vandalizing of the apartment, running for his life, rinse, wash, and repeat. I can name all of his true friends on one hand. Myself, Teuchi and Ayame of the Ichiraku's ramen stand, the Hokage, and Iruka. I am honored for him to call me 'onii-san'. It means he trusts me, something I can't believe the boy still knows how to do."

There was silence as the listeners fought back tears, truly heartbroken at Naruto's childhood. Sakura was by far taking it the worst. _H-how? He's had such a horrible life... and... and... and I've only made it worse! I've always been beating him, and punching him... when he was only trying to ask me out on a date! I've been acting no better than any of those damn villagers, always calling him names and things. The least I can do is act like I'm a friend!_

Kakashi sighed, clearly distraught over his sensei's son's life. He knew he should have been there for the boy, but missions had constantly gotten in the way of watching over him. "So what's the bad blood between you and Zabuza?" he asked, obviously trying to change the subject.

"You know the rumors, how Zabuza killed all one hundred Kiri Academy students when he was ten?" Kakashi nodded. "Well, I was the Academy teacher at the time. I taught kenjutsu, more specifically the art of the zanbato. I watched as that monster murdered all of my students, all of them! What was I supposed to do? The law forbade me from striking down a fellow villager!" Yoshirou sighed, trying to calm his nerves. Anger would get him nowhere. "Afterwords, I left Kirigakure and traveled the nations. I ended up in Konoha, and you know the rest."

He had obviously left out several key details, like what exactly he was doing while he was "traveling".

"And what about Akio. What's his story?" Kakashi asked.

"We met on the road. He left Amegakure for unknown reasons. He didn't want to talk about it. And you know how Ame feels about defectors."

"They kill them. For genin, they send genin or chuunin, depending on the skill. For chuunin, they send jounin, and for jounin they send ANBU. For ANBU, well... they send even more ANBU, like two four man squads."

Yoshirou nodded, "Akio was classified as an ANBU before his defection."

"But how did he get away? Certainly he couldn't have taken them all on."

There was a pause before Yoshirou spoke again, looking Kakashi straight in the eye. "Akio's scythe has not always been crimson."

Naruto returned later that night, worn out to the point of exhaustion. He had met a weird girl, who turned out to be a boy, and they had talked for most of the night about friendship and what it meant to protect someone you cared about. Naruto collapsed on the couch before Sakura could talk to him. The pinkette had stayed up waiting for his return, it was the least she could do, she figured, after all of the beatings she had unkindly bestowed upon him. She never got to say how sorry she was.

–

Naruto woke up to the sound of screaming in the kitchen, soon followed by a deep laughter; the laughter of a sadist after they had sufficiently wounded someone. What made it worse was the voice of the scream, Naruto realized it sounded like Tsunami's. He bolted out of bed, still in his clothes, and ran into the kitchen to find two burly men by the door, one holding Tsunami by the throat, and Inari standing fearfully some distance away. The woman was still struggling, which meant she was still alive. That was a good sign. Naruto reached into his weapon pouch- it was a good thing he kept it on when he got back- and pulled out two kunai. He rushed the men, going for the one holding Tsunami first. He threw the kunai into his arm, and the brute howled as he dropped Tsunami to the floor. Naruto stabbed the other kunai into the man's heart, and he fell, dead before he hit the floor. Prying the kunai from his chest, he glared at the other man, who had taken a step back when he saw his comrade's death. Naruto flicked the kunai into his eye, killing him instantly. He turned towards Tsunami.

"Are you alright, Tsunami-san?" She nodded wearily, but her eyes widened slightly as she remembered a critical piece of information.

"Those were Gato's men! Your team said they were going ahead to the bridge with otou-san, which means that Gato has probably already attacked."

Naruto had came to the same conclusion and pulled his two kunai from the men before running out the door, not bothering to shout a goodbye to the mother and child.

–

Dodge, ineffective attack, dodge again. That was the whole of Sasuke's fight. He was currently in battle with the same hunter-nin, apparently named Haku, who had "killed" Zabuza several days before. Turns out the two were partners, and the hunter-nin was skilled enough to hit his partner with senbon, in the neck, without killing him. He also appeared to have a kekkei genkai that gave him the ability to use Hyoton techniques. Sasuke was currently using yet another Gokakyu no Jutsu to try and melt the ice mirrors that surrounded him. Just like before, though, the mirrors were unharmed by the flames.

"You cannot win with your Katon techniques, boy," Haku spoke in his androgynous voice, which only served to further agitate Sasuke. _Why the hell can't I hurt him?_ He thought. It didn't really matter, though, as Haku's image spread to all of the mirrors surrounding the Uchiha. Three senbon appeared in the hunter-nin's right hand. All of the images threw the needles, and, surprisingly enough, they were all real. Sixy-three senbon imbedded themselves in Sasuke, and the boy let out an ear piercing, pain filled howl as he slumped to the ground in agony.

Across the bridge, Kakashi heard his young pupil's scream. He didn't have enough time to react, though, as Zabuza once again struck at him with his sword.

"Hang on, Kakashi-san!" Yoshirou shouted, swinging at Zabuza with his own zanbato. Zabuza parried the downward blow and kicked Yoshirou in the chest, sending him sprawling over the bridge. He immediately recovered and ran back at the missing-nin.

"Why won't you give up!" Zabuza roared, performing a horizontal slash. Kubikiri was locked with Yoshirou's zanbato as the man blocked the blow, giving Kakashi enough time to run in and stab Zabuza in the shoulder with a kunai. Zabuza hissed, turning around and nailing him in the gut with his free, unhindered elbow. He then ripped the kunai from his shoulder, using it to slash Yoshirou's gut. His grip loosened in response to the pain, allowing Zabuza to push him away and cut his calf with Kubikiri. Yoshirou fell onto his knee.

"This is the end," Zabuza growled, holding his sword high above him.

"No you don't!" Kakashi yelled, narrowly blocking Kubikiri's vertical chop with a kunai. One second late, and Yoshirou would've been dead. Feeling a burst of adrenalin, Kakashi pushed Zabuza away and quickly threw several shuriken. Zabuza used the momentum of his movement to push off the ground and enter a backspin, the shuriken flying past him harmlessly. Kakashi, however, was already performing hand signs. Three, to be precise: Ox, Rabbit, Monkey.

"Raikiri!"

The next thing Zabuza knew, Kakashi was rushing at him with a highly concentrated mass of blue Raiton chakra. As soon as he landed, Zabuza jumped to the right, but the jutsu still hit his left arm. Zabuza growled in pain as he lost all feeling in the appendage, and it fell limply to his side. The pain was replaced by faint amusement, though, as the missing-nin remembered just why he was there.

"Sorry, Kakashi, but I still have a mission to complete. We'll finish this later, hm?" And just like that, Zabuza disappeared in a puff of smoke. Kakashi stood there for a second before realization hit him like a brick wall. _He's going after Tazuna!_

–

Sakura was scared. First she had heard Sasuke scream in pain, and she had wanted nothing more to be by his side. She had her job to do, though, and so she remained standing in front of Tazuna, kunai in hand. A few minutes later, she had heard a sound that reminded her of thousands of chirping birds. That had to have been Kakashi doing some sort of weird jutsu, which meant she was safe from Zabuza... right? Plus, Yoshirou was there, so that meant it was two versus one. Unless Zabuza was really that deadly, there was no way he could take on two jounin!

Oh, how wrong she was.

She heard a poof in front of her, and watched in slow motion as Kubikiri Hocho swung at her in a horizontal angle, accompanied by a heartless laugh and a gravely voice saying, "Too bad, little girl." She saw her life flash before her eyes: her birthdays, how the girls teased her about her forehead, her graduation from the Academy not two weeks ago. She knew it was going to end in a couple seconds.

The blow never came.

She opened her eyes to the sight of orange. Naruto stood before her, and the kunai he had used to block the massive sword was now in his arm, propelled into him by the sheer force of the impact. He turned to face her, cerulean eyes full of worry and fear.

"S-Sakura-chan?"

"Naruto?" she asked in reply, "It took you long enough to get here, you baka!"

He smiled weakly and nodded, "You a-alright?"

"Yeah." A pause. "Hey, Naruto? Kick his ass."

He nodded, a spark of determination flashing to life in his eyes. He turned around to stare up at Zabuza's menacing form. _I'm pretty sure that meant she believes in me, right?_

"**Get ready."**

A powerful gust of red chakra erupted, initially propelling Sakura, Tazuna, and even Zabuza several feet away from the blond. A glow covered Naruto, the wind becoming so violent that it forcibly unzipped his orange jacket and threw his hitai-ite off his forehead. He started shaking from the chakra that flooded his body; there was so much it even left his body and floated around him, before condensing onto his shoulders and running down his arms.

"**Remember, you need to form and channel the chakra yourself. Picture it in your mind, and make it reality."**

Naruto nodded, mentally picturing two razor sharp short-swords. The chakra responded, running off his hands and stopping a foot and a half past his fingers. They narrowed, taking the form of swords, but still attached to the chakra on his arms so that there were no handles. The wind picked up even more, cracks started to form beneath his feet. The cracks soon became a small crater, the excess chakra that didn't cover his arms hovered around him like wisps, before moving next to him. The chakra darkened to the point where it was black, and condensed. The mass then grew until it reached the height of Naruto's shoulders. It was at this time that a voice entered his head, a voice he had heard a week and a half ago.

"_**You shall become the epitomy of power."**_

The mass of black chakra next to Naruto took a shape. The shape of a fox with nine tails. Red eyes shone through its newly formed head, glaring at the now frightened Zabuza in detest.

"**You have attempted to harm the pink fairy and my other. For that..."** The eyes narrowed, Zabuza nervously readied Kubikiri.

"**... There can be no mercy."**

–

A subordinate entered the dimly lit room, eager to report the news to his leader. He kneeled before the desk. "He has unlocked the first technique, Leader-sama."

A smile formed on Takehiko's face. "Splendid." The subordinate stood, bowed, and left the room. Not thirty seconds passed, though, before the door creaked open once more. A man in a cloak entered the room, his face shrouded by a hood. Takehiko merely looked at him.

"So, I assume you have accepted my offer?"

The man nodded.

"Excellent."

"Shall I report the information to _them?_" the new member asked. Takehiko frowned for a split second, before resuming a neutral expression.

"No, I think it would be best if we withheld this from them for the time being."

The man nodded once again, turning to leave the room. Mangekyo shown through the darkness, the figure silently left.

----

Oh snap! What's this, a _cliffhanger?!_ Yes, yes, I know. You want to strangle me, right?

Anyway, as those of you who answered the first set of questions noticed, I was a little cryptic in my responses. I did this because I wanted to keep the plot flexible. I wanted to keep the plot easily alterable. It would be very hard to write if the plot was set in stone. I like it if I have the freedom to maneuver around and explore new ideas, so I had to keep stuff vague and leave you guys thinking about the responses I gave. Besides, if I had gone and told you so very bluntly why everything happened and for what purpose, it would take away all the fun!

From now on Question 1 will be devoted to starting quote-related questions. The starting quotes will begin each chapter from now on, a touch I found personally enjoyable. Question 4 will probably be the harder of the chapter-related questions. The hints will be in parenthesis.

1: Who was talking in the quote, and who was he talking to? (No real hints for this one, it should be easy enough to get as it is, I think.)

2: Why does Yoshirou clearly want revenge on Zabuza? (Once again, fairly easy. I think I described it in the chapter.)

3: Who was the man Takehiko was talking to? (It could be one of two people.)

4: What was the name of the technique Naruto starts at the end of the chapter? (You're going to need to search the entire page for this one, not just the actual chapter text. It's a combination of things.)

Well, there they are. Answer if you want to, nothing's required!


	5. Arc 1 Chapter 3: A Circumstance

Well, look who decided to show up.

Did you all miss me? Probably not. After all, it's been seven months, and Purge only has five chapters to its name. If any of you did notice my absence, then I should probably both thank you and apologize. Thank you for waiting when it seemed I dropped off the face of the Earth, and apologize for making you wait for so long. No excuses or anything, and I don't really want to get into details.

Moving on, this chapter is definitely shorter than the previous, actually only half the size. This one is nine pages, as opposed to chapter three's monstrous eighteen. Word count, excluding A/Ns, is 4263. I've also updated the summary. Purge never left my mind during this little hiatus (can I call it that?), so I feel the evolved story deserves an evolved summary. I won't drag this on though, I'm sure the lot of you who stuck around will want to get right into the reading. The super-duper long A/N will be at the end of the chapter.

Note: This chapter is dedicated to DemonKingSamael, who sent me an angry PM (but it was also one that filled me with pride) a few months back demanding this chapter. If you're still waiting... well, you got closure I guess! And... er, thanks for your dedication.

**Note 2 (SOMEWHAT IMPORTANT): This chapter was typed up over a span of several months, during which my typing abilities varied. As a result, the quality of this chapter may vary in some parts. I've done my best to clean it up, but I'm sorry if this minor detail disrupts your reading in any way.**

Disclaimer: It's a damn good thing I don't own Naruto. Otherwise, the manga would still be on chapter five. (Har har, get it?)

* * *

"_I woke up in a forest. On a hill to be precise, a hill that overlooked a meadow. The flowers were in full bloom, and I couldn't help but feel at peace, despite my vague memories regarding battles and the overwhelming stench of death."_

_**Purge**_

_Arc 1- Chapter 3: A Circumstance_

The miniscule fire burned brightly on the wax, the melting white slowly made its way down to the dish. A man sat at a desk, hunched over the candle as he read the seal of the scroll. It had come in from a messenger hawk late at night, which meant it was urgent, but was redirected away from the Hokage for obvious reasons. Couldn't have the old man getting suspicious, of course.

Biting down on his finger, the man spread the blood over the small seal. A soft "poof" was heard, and he opened the scroll.

_Sir,_

_The spy is in place and will be feeding us information back from the location by tomorrow. Hopefully, given his status, he will be allowed access to high level intelligence which will give us a good head start to counter whatever plans they have. We are currently setting up base in the nearby forest about ten miles to the west of the location. We will stay in touch. Also, I suggest you burn this as soon as you finish reading, we have word the Hokage is tightening his grip again._

_Team Beaa_

_Member 2_

The man finished just in time to hear the door open, and he quickly shut the scroll. He prepared a rude retort, but held his tongue when he discovered who had entered his office. "Yes, Danzou-sama?" He stood to bow, however the bandaged man's dismissive wave brought him to his seat once again.

"I heard the message got in. Report."

"He has been accepted and is currently trusted as a valuable asset. The team is setting up base ten miles to the west of the target, and information will begin to flow in tomorrow."

Danzou paused, then growled, "And why not immediately?"

"With all do respect, Danzou-sama, if he just started rifling through the data immediately they would think something was suspicious and-"

"You do know who we are talking about, correct?" the older man interrupted, his visible eye narrowing.

"Of course, but still...!"

"Fine, it is better than nothing at all. But let me make this crystal clear to you: we need to hurry. Delaying is not an option... not even considered an option! The sooner we start, the better the chances. Remember, we are after the same prize, and it is imperative we are the victors in this matter!" With that Danzou turned to leave, the man only responding with a sharp, "Hai, Danzou-sama!"

* * *

_C'mon, Sasuke, you gotta get up!_ The young Uchiha forced himself to his feet, the many senbon still piercing his body. They impeded his movements somewhat as they grinded against his body's natural movement, like a rock breaks the current of a river. Sasuke knew he couldn't remove all of them without giving Haku yet another opening, so he forced himself to bear with the pain. Thankfully they hadn't been poisoned. Sasuke glared at the Haku duplicate in front of him, onyx eyes searching for a possibly exploitable weakness.

"You have already lost this battle," Haku spoke, "There will be no escape from this place. Your death shall be within these walls." Well, wasn't that a motivational booster? As if to affirm the fact, several more senbon appeared in Haku's hands.

_There has to be a pattern!_ Sasuke thought desperately. His eyes were darting around, looking at every little detail within the mirrors. He squinted when he thought he saw a blur moving between two of the mirrors. He looked between two others, and sure enough there was another blur.

_Bingo._

Sasuke whipped out a kunai, throwing it where he thought the mysterious thing would appear next. It sailed harmlessly out of the mirror dome, never connecting with the intended target. In response, Haku threw more senbon towards the Uchiha, though this time there were only nine. Sasuke jumped up and backwards, avoiding the deadly projectiles with surprising agility considering his current state. Once he landed, reasoning kicked in and he dashed back into the center of the dome. Doing that gave him an equal chance to dodge the needles from all sides. Sasuke unsheathed another kunai, looking intently at the spaces between the multiple mirrors. The evil blur was spotted soon enough, and Sasuke was mildly surprised when it looked slower than before. Knowing this was his opportune moment, he threw the kunai a little ahead of the blur, as to lead the target. He saw the steel barely scrape it, and he allowed himself a small smirk, if only for an instant. He was getting closer.

* * *

Naruto stayed low as he ran, the chakra blade extensions scraping against the ground kicking up dust that pooled behind him. The Kyuubi replica ran next to him as they both charged Zabuza. The missing-nin swung horizontally when they entered his range, but they both jumped over the massive sword. Naruto engaged him directly while the Kyuubi flipped over and landed behind Zabuza. Naruto went for a stab with his right blade, but Zabuza dodged him by leaning to the left. He then countered the genin with a knee to the gut. Naruto went with the blow and flipped backwards. He kicked off as soon as his feet touched the ground, locking both blades in a cross-strike against Zabuza's blade, which was positioned vertically.

_This kid definitely wasn't this strong before,_ Zabuza thought. _It has to be that weird chakra._

The two ninja disengaged, and Zabuza was about to swing horizontally once more when he felt a strange tugging sensation on his left arm. He looked to see a black wisp-like tail rapped around it, the owner of the appendage being the Kyuubi replica. Naruto saw this opening and wasted no time in taking advantage of it. He ran full force, aiming his chakra blades to stab Zabuza through the heart. He felt the connection, but his momentary happiness in the victory was soon replaced with the anguish of knowing he had missed the target; there was a poof of smoke.

Zabuza was thanking Kami for whoever invented the ever-so-useful Kawarimi no Jutsu. He had felt the burning sensation when the blades had connected with his chest; a second later and he would have been run clean through the heart. As for the chunk of building steel he had replaced with... well, that wasn't so lucky. Knowing that the blonde genin was certainly out of the ordinary and he was more dangerous than he looked, Zabuza planned a tactical retreat from the area. The pink one was no problem at all, neither was the emo kid. The problem was Kakashi and the blonde kid, who was almost certainly mid-chuunin level now that he activated that crazy chakra. He had faith in Haku's skills, but if the blonde kid engaged him with those chakra blades they would probably melt right through the ice mirrors. That wasn't good.

As if to further cement Zabuza's doubt in the current situation, he heard a loud crashing noise and looked over to see the black haired genin shoulder Haku through one of the thin spaces between two ice mirrors, shattering both of them in the process. Zabuza swore he saw a flash of red in the young boy's eyes and muttered a couple of choice profanities under his breath. He was about the go to the aid of his apprentice, but was halted by the sound of chirping birds and the consequential spike of chakra.

"Raikiri!"

Zabuza chuckled. _Kakashi can't be serious, can he? I can just dodge and-_

His train of thought was cut off as he felt another large increase of chakra, this time behind him. He looked just in time to see four black chakra tails wrap and constrict his arms and legs, effectively destroying all modes of transportation.

_Ah shit._

And the game had ended. Zabuza sighed. "Tell sensei I'm sorry."

Kakashi paused momentarily. "Excuse me?"

"Tell Yoshirou-sensei I'm sorry. I had... no other choice. He'll understand."

The Sharingan user nodded. A dead man's last request. He could honor that. Kakashi ran forward, knowing the deed had to be done. The chakra tails preventing Zabuza's mode of transportation unwound, and a demonic shout of **"Kit!"** could be heard. But it was too late.

The Raikiri pierced his heart, and Momochi Zabuza's body landed on the cold bridge with a thud.

* * *

Naruto wobbled on his feet. It felt as though his entire body was burning from the inside out. The chakra swords dissolved; blood flowed as their replacement. His vision blurred, and the young genin fell face first onto the bridge's hard surface.

* * *

Haku was getting worried. Not only had the genin figured out what the weakness in the jutsu was, but he had actually managed to scrape him with a kunai. It didn't provide for a crippling injury, but nevertheless Haku knew that if the genin got any closer things would get a little painful. The only solution to this problem, he reasoned, was to increase the pace and the rate of attacks. And that's exactly what the hunter-nin did.

Sasuke was shocked when Haku once again blurred and resumed his earlier speed. He was thrust onto the defensive as more senbon flew towards him, intent on ending his life. The young Uchiha's body moved on its own, deftly dodging needle after needle. In all his focus, though, Sasuke neglected the area behind him, and that was all it took for a senbon to find its mark.

Sasuke hissed in pain and jammed his eyes shut as his brain registered the sharp pain in his left shoulder. He hadn't expected to be hit in that particular area. His chakra fluctuated, his body sensed the imminent threat to his life as more and more senbon pierced his back. A barrier was broken.

When Sasuke opened his eyes, he found everything clearer, and could once again trace Haku's path.

_What the hell?_ He thought, but quickly shook his head. _Gotta stay focused._ He launched himself towards Haku, who was once again moving between ice mirrors. Sasuke knew he wouldn't make it in time to intercept him, so he stopped and waited for the next opportune moment. After more dodging and waiting, the young Uchiha found he could trace Haku's path. He positioned himself to make the connection at the next ice mirror. Sure enough, Haku crossed his path. Sasuke smirked, lowered his shoulder, and prepared for the inevitable impact. He felt his shoulder connect with Haku's gut and the subsequent smashing of the ice mirrors. Crimson eyes opened and watched in mild glee as both he and Haku landed on the bridge, outside of their previous battleground.

Haku was the first to stand. "I see you have unlocked your clan's bloodline. It is called the Sharingan, is it not?"

Sasuke didn't say anything, merely entering a stance.

"I see. Your arrogance flows off of you in droves. It will get you killed."

"Shut up."

Haku closed his eyes behind his mask. "Do you have a dream?"

"My ambition is to kill a man who has done myself and my family a great injustice."

"Your 'ambition' will get you killed, as well."

"I said shut up! Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" Sasuke retorted, rapidly flying through hand seals. In his anger he pumped more chakra into the technique than was required, and the outcome was a fireball quite larger than his others had been. Haku transitioned to a handstand and vaulted over the fireball with deft ease.

"The strive to defeat one man who is ten times more powerful than yourself will result in your death. He will defeat you with a swipe of his hand. Your blood staining the ground will mean nothing to him. He will walk away and continue to pursue his_ own_ goals, without ever sparing a glance back at your rotting corpse." He formed seals of his own. "Hyouton: Aisukugi."

Several spikes made of pure ice erupted to the surface where Sasuke had stood only moments before. He had had enough intellect to jump clear when he heard the rumbling that signaled the beginning of the jutsu.

Sasuke removed three kunai from his pouch, holding two and placing one in his mouth. He landed and threw one towards the hunter-nin. Haku merely sidestepped it. Seeing what the Uchiha was doing, he equipped three senbon in each hand, holding them between his fingers like claws. Sasuke rushed forward and locked his two kunai against Haku's senbon. He hated how he was so agitated, yet the masked bastard's posture was so calmed, so tranquil, even though he was fighting for his life. It was as if he was at peace.

"Show me your face," he commanded.

Haku said nothing for several moments, then somehow disarmed Sasuke of his left kunai. He dropped his three senbon on the now battered bridge and removed his mask. It hit the floor and shattered. Sasuke smirked, then spit a wad of saliva onto his opponent's cheek. Haku didn't even blink. He wiped his face, then looked at Sasuke with penetrating hazel eyes.

"What will you do when your quest proves fruitless?"

"What?" Sasuke growled in response.

"What will you do when someone eventually kills Uchiha Itachi, and it isn't you?" It was more of a demand than a question.

Sasuke's eyes widened for a split second, then narrowed. Black eyes bore a hole into Haku's being. "How the hell do you know his name?"

"Word travels fast. I would be surprised if you encountered a single shinobi who hasn't heard of the Uchiha Massacre. I have answered your question, now you answer mine."

"No one will kill him except me."

"Unlikely. I imagine the bounty on his head is great by now. Maybe after I kill you, Zabuza-sama and I-"

"SHUT UP!" Sasuke shouted, pushing harder on his remaining kunai. He screwed his eyes shut. "You will not kill me! No one will! Not until I have found him, and left that asshole in a pool of his own blood!"

Haku took the young genin's anger-induced yelling to his advantage, and disarmed Sasuke of his remaining kunai. He sent him sprawling with a kick to the gut. Using his free right hand, he rapidly started performing one-handed seals.

"Hyouton: Aisuchouekikei."

The three senbon in his left hand began to glow with an ethereal white light. He threw them towards Sasuke, who was on his feet now, but disoriented. His Sharingan had deactivated. Two of the senbon landed in front of his feet, and the third actually flew between his legs and landed in back of him. Sasuke had no time to react as ice came out of the two senbon by his feet and wrapped tightly around his lower extremities, traveling up to his knees. The senbon behind him actually spawned two separate branches of ice that bound around his hands and secured the appendages up to his elbows. There was no escape.

"Uchiha Itachi is in a... precarious situation right now, much like yourself," Haku explained. "He might actually lose his life."

Sasuke growled, but it was admittedly less forceful than it had been only a few minutes before. "He won't. Killing him is my job, and my job alone."

Haku looked at him blankly. "You really aren't that bright, are you?"

"I was the rookie of the year in the Aca-"

"That means absolutely nothing," Haku interrupted harshly. "You do not learn how to be a shinobi in the Academy. You learn how to be a shinobi through experience, and experience alone. That is why most genin die, and most jounin live."

Sasuke couldn't respond to that, so he just settled for glaring. After a moment, he asked another question. "Why haven't you killed me yet?"

Haku didn't answer, but looked over to see his master's bloody body laying across the bridge. _I understand, Zabuza-sama. I will follow you into death._ He released the jutsu. Sasuke smirked.

"You're mistake. Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

Haku looked upon the fireball with a blank mind. He smiled, and felt nothing as he was consumed.

Not an ash remained from where he stood.

* * *

Kakashi heard clapping as he traveled to pick up the unconscious Yoshirou. By the edge of the unfinished bridge stood short man in a suit, holding a cane. The small circular sunglasses he wore prevented his eyes from being seen, but Kakashi could tell that he was looking at Zabuza's dead body.

"Fantastic! Simply fantastic!" he exclaimed. "Now I won't have to pay him! Too bad I'll have to kill that bridge builder by myself now."

Kakashi eyed the mass of armed men behind him. "You mean your thugs will have to kill him."

"Hm? Oh, you must be that asshole's protection. I hope you realize who you're dealing with, ninja-san. I am Gatou. Now, if you wou-" He never finished the sentence. A kunai wedged itself in his forehead, followed by a salvo of shuriken to the chest. He fell backwards, dead as a rock.

"I _hate_ businessmen," Kakashi snarled. He glared at the frightened men behind the corpse. "And the scum they hire."

Every one of them jumped over the bridge and into the water. Anything to get away from the man with the freaky eye.

* * *

Naruto awoke to pure white. No bridge, no Tazuna-san, and no missing-nin with a big sword. He could only hear his breathing. It was silent, it was nothing.

"Is anyone there?" he called out, internally cringing at how raspy and weak his voice sounded. "Kyuubi? Kakashi-sensei? Sakura-chan, Sasuke-teme?" He stood up. In the back of his mind he wondered how that was possible, when he wasn't standing on anything and had nothing to support his hands as he pushed himself up.

"YOSHIROU-NIISAN!"

Nothing... but then, he heard footsteps. At first they were dull and soft, but then got progressively louder. He couldn't pinpoint where they were coming from, they were echoing all around him. Naruto went to retrieve a kunai, but where his pouch usually was, there was nothing. He formed the seal for the Kage Bunshin, but nothing happened. No chakra, he realized. The footsteps got louder and louder, until he found their owner was right behind him. Naruto twirled around and attempted to land a punch, but his hand was stopped by a larger, more powerful hand of the mystery man.

"Hey! Easy there, son!" The man's voice was gruff and deep, but caring. Naruto looked up at him. He wore some sort of old cloak, with a strange hitai-ite on his forehead. His brown hair was long and spiky, and was tied in a loose ponytail that fell past his shoulders. But the strangest thing about him was his eyes. They were grayish-purple, with weird concentric circles surrounding the pupils. His entire person seemed to radiate power.

"Where are we?" Naruto asked, awed by the man.

"You, Naruto-kun, are on a road."

"A road? A road to where? And how do you know my name?"

The man let out a hearty laugh, clearly amused by the blonde's curiosity. "Ah, you remind me of myself..." he whispered. "You are on a road to your destiny."

And then it grew dark; so dark that Naruto couldn't even see his own hands. The man before him faded away. He heard a roar, so feral and menacing, so laced with an untold amount of killing intent, that Naruto had no choice but to shakily bend to his knees and empty his stomach's contents onto the invisible ground.

The roar was followed by a deep, hollow voice that sounded like a coalition of thousands of agonizing souls screaming out for nothing more than the crimson fluids of the enemies that had dared defy them.

"**RIKUDO!"**

Naruto turned around, rooted in place by his fear and the horrible thing's killing intent. He saw the eye; that terrible, golden eye that shrouded the rest of the body in a pale luminescence. Ten tails swirled behind it.

Some voice spoke to him. It wasn't his own, nor was it the Kyuubi's. But it's advice was sound, _"Run, Naruto."_

And run he did. He ran like he had never ran before. He didn't have any chakra to fuel his sprint, though, and without his enormous battery he soon had to stop. He imagined he had run at least a quarter of a mile, though, and that had to be some progress. Did he dare turn around? He attempted it, but there that eye was. It was like he had never even moved, and that eye still glared at him with that malevolence. Naruto, overwhelmed by its presence, fell on his backside. He scrambled away but didn't get more than a foot's distance.

The thing raised its head and opened its large mouth – Naruto faintly recognized the same teeth belonged to the Kyuubi, only this thing's were black – and a magnificent golden orb formed above it. It had to be half the size of the beast's body. Four streams of chakra on either side of the sun-like ball flowed off like water into its gaping maw. This continued until the orb had flattened and resembled an oversized discus. The middle of the disc then funneled into the monster's mouth as well. By now its cheeks were puffing out almost comically. The only remainder of the once beautiful sphere was a golden ring still hovering over the head of the beast. Its head lowered, aiming at the terror-stricken blonde.

It fired in an almighty blast of chakra and power. Naruto closed his eyes. He didn't really want to die like this, but hey, we all have to go at some point.

But just as he was asking Kami for forgiveness, it was over. Naruto reluctantly opened his eyes. The area around him glowed an eery gold. It was probably residue chakra from the attack that had, somehow, been deflected.

Standing over him was a man who glowed pale white. He was clad in a nondescript white robe. A hood was over his face. The only thing that wasn't white were the chains that started at the man's shoulders and crisscrossed down both of his arms, which were crossed over his chest. Naruto realized he must have some sort of weapon he used to block that beast's unholy firepower. He got his answer when the man brought his arms to his sides, revealing two scimitars (How swords were able to block something like that, Naruto would never know) . Naruto noticed the black chains on his arms connected to the base of the light blue swords. His rescuer turned his head to look at the boy. He was wearing a plain mask with some sort of kanji on the forehead, but Naruto couldn't read it from his position.

"_Savior-sama,"_ he acknowledged. The wind picked up around them until it was hurricane level, and then the mysterious man dashed off at untold speeds towards the beast.

Naruto didn't have enough time to divulge strange man's words, though. He heard a screeching sound, so sharp he thought his ears were bleeding. Looking to the sides of himself, he saw four portals. Intricate carvings detailed the structures, and Naruto could tell they each related to a different element. Four blurs shot out of the portal, each one heading in the same direction as the man who saved him earlier: towards the unholy monstrosity.

And then Naruto felt a warm heat at his back. The darkness slowly receded, overtaken by the light, until the blonde boy was sitting at the point where the two forces met. He turned around to see a calloused hand.

"_Take the hand, son."_ It was the same voice that had told him to run. Naruto faintly made a note in the back of his mind to trust the voice; its advice seemed worth taking. He grabbed the hand, but as soon as he did so the demonic entity roared, its killing intent once again flooding the area.

"**NOTHING WILL SAVE YOU."**

The hand forcefully twirled Naruto around. The body the appendage belonged to stepped in front of him, sort of shielding him from whatever evil the being would bring forth.

"Shinra Tensei."

The invisible explosion brought forth by those two words pushed Naruto back multiple feet, even though the blast was aimed in the opposite direction. He hit the ground with a crunch, and rolled into another portal that had appeared. It was strange – even while rolling, Naruto could easily make out the kanji printed on the mysterious thing. It read _'Fukkatsu'_. Rebirth.

Through the portal's turquoise aura, Naruto could barely make out the blurs and the second figure who saved him battling it out with that awful being.

He wished for them to succeed. Nothing like that should exist, ever.

The aura swirled around him like a whirlpool, and all was dark once more.

* * *

Before I start blabbing, I want to apologize to any Haku fans if I've butchered his character too much. He comes off a little OOC in my view, but it's been forever since I've even glanced at the Wave arc and I needed him to act like this for the plot's sake.

I like to think of everything leading up to this point as a "prelude" of sorts. This is the point where the real story begins. There won't be questions anymore, since no one really answered them in the first place... (except PeinsDisciple. You know what's kind of scary? In the time it's taken me to update one chapter, he's finished the story he started at the relative time Purge was started, began another story, finished that one [as far as I can tell. Still haven't read it, yet...] and began _another_ one. Sweet Lord! The trilogy is called The Daemon of Pein. You guys should read it. I didn't get far but what I read was pure brilliance. My two cents.)

Anyway, I just planned on listing my thoughts here. Ramblings, if you will. Purge itself has cornered off a good-sized section of my mind, taken control of it, and systematically destroyed everything that is unrelated to the story. Seriously. I think about it night and day, whenever I have some free time. So no, those of you who thought this thing was long dead were wrong. Good thing, too. I think I'd go crazy if I didn't write this stuff down.

In the seven months between update times, Purge has evolved so much it's kind of shocked me. Originally I was never planning on that last scene, but now it, and the multiple things it's spawned, have become an integral part of the story. It'll definitely be fun following this plot I've created (just thinking about some of the aspects makes my head spin. Is that a bad thing?), especially since I don't think the particular subject I've based the plot on has been followed, at least this extensively. In all reality, there's only one manga chapter tying this thing to canon. I'm trying to control the AU-ness until I get into the Shippuden time frame. That's when all connection to canon will be severed and we'll be off in our own little world.

I'm also thinking about changing the rating. It seems my sailor's mouth will be included in this story, and I'm sure my perverted side will try to... influence my writing some time in the future. Probably during Shippuden, but still, better safe than sorry. For now I'll keep it with a T rating, but that may change soon. Just a heads up.

It's 11:52 PM on a Sunday night as I'm finishing up this A/N. Maybe now I'll be able to get some sleep...

~ FicsRLulz


	6. Brotherhood, Part 1

A/N: Here we are again. This one's a little short in my opinion, but I ended it where I wanted. And it's better than nothing, right? First part's a little gruesome, you've been warned. Also, my big motivation for getting this up was in part due to around ten or so readers who, after I spontaneously checked traffic one day, seemed to be diligently waiting, even after all this time, for an update. You all make me so happy. This chapter's dedicated to you guys, as well as those few who like to check my profile and probably saw that little hint I left. I didn't forget about you!

Longer note's at the bottom. Read it if you want, and enjoy the chapter.

Disclaimer: I recently saw Masashi Kishimoto at a doughnut shop. Feeling brave, I approached him and boldly asked him for the rights to Naruto. He looked at me, shouted something (probably a profanity or two) in Japanese, and then punched me through a wall. Series still ain't mine.

* * *

"_I decided to make my home amongst the flowers. I hadn't recalled any specific abode of mine in my memories, so the beautiful place I had discovered seemed perfect. I was so naïve." _

_**Purge**_

Brotherhood, Part 1

Haruno Sakura had thought she knew fear and pain. She thought the emotional pain that came with facetious taunts was the worst she would ever experience. When she decided to become a ninja, like her parents before her, she figured all of her enemies would flee; they wouldn't be willing to face a proud kunoichi of Konoha. Oh, what a laugh.

She was uninjured, of course. She would always be uninjured. She was weak, pathetic, an easy target, but she would never be hurt. There were too many roadblocks the enemy would have to hurdle to get to her. And so, as she opened closed eyes and pulled herself off the ground (who knew Naruto had that much power?), she understood for the first time what it meant to be a ninja.

The first member of her team she saw was Sasuke. He was currently on his knees, gasping for breathe. He looked on the verge of collapsing. Senbon riddled his entire body, making him looks more like an oversized pincushion than a human being. She ran over to him. He would always be her first priority, the top of her list. Kneeling down beside him, she asked him probably the stupidest question one could ask a pre-teenage boy who had just survived the fight of his life.

"Are you hurt, Sasuke-kun?"

Slowly, Sasuke planted one foot on the ground, then the other. He rose, stumbling a little when he straightened his back. The boy turned towards her and gave her a tired glare.

"Sakura, I am an Uchiha. I am impervious to pain. I simply cannot be hurt." Clearly, his ego was still intact. Sakura sighed. As she grew to know him (through stalking, a little voice in the back of her mind reminded her), she learned that if Sasuke could still gloat, he truly was fine. Chakra exhausted, but fine.

She saw the unconscious Yoshirou at the end of the bridge and winced at his condition. A small pool of blood had formed around him, clearly coming from the large slice that had nearly taken his lower leg off. That Zabuza really was something. If they didn't get him back to Konoha to receive adequate medical attention, he could quite possibly lose the limb. That would end his career. Sakura let herself relax a little when she saw Kakashi appear next to him, take out a roll of gauze and wrap the wound with almost half of it. It wouldn't really do anything, but it was probably better than nothing. At the very least it would minutely stem the blood flow. Sakura turned towards the final team member, the last one on the list. Always the last one on the list.

When she was older and wiser, Haruno Sakura would look back on that day and remember it as the singular event that changed her life. That made her a better person. It was a day on which her eyes were opened, and she learned the true value of human life. One might even go so far as to say it was on that day that her future was decided; she would become a medic-nin, one of the best. On that day, where she learned what war did to humanity, and she learned resolve, focus, and strength.

On that day, where she learned fear.

Uzumaki Naruto lay face down in a pool of his own crimson life fluid. The chakra that had once covered his arms in an unbreakable aura had long since vanished, leaving in its wake a tangled, shredded mess. Black skin collected on his arms in globules. Muscle and specks of bone peaked out in the sunlight. His body was seizing, convulsing. Still, Sakura stood there, unable to do anything. She couldn't do anything, and because of that, the teammate, who she had just recently learned had gone through hell _and came back_, was dying. It was her fault.

She looked around her. The devastation was obvious. Her eyes were drawn to the crater Naruto had created when he unleashed that unholy, concentrated rage, but there were other battle scars as well. Scorch marks from Sasuke's Katon jutsu tinted select parts of the bridge a harsh black. Kakashi's Raikiri had made a similar effect, only the black was in a ring from where the blade's bolts had struck the ground. Slashes along the metal at the far end of the bridge marked Yoshirou's valiant stand against his former student. Sakura looked at her hands. What had she done to contribute to all that?

Her fault.

She took her long locks into her hand. While everyone was out there dying, she had focused on being _pretty_ and _cute_.

_Her fault._

She snatched an unused, shiny kunai from her pouch. It was still full of deadly weapons. Sakura sneered, and sliced the pathetic hair away. She didn't watch the lush locks fall to the pavement as she ran over to Naruto's prone body. This time it might've been her fault, but that didn't mean it had to be the same in the future.

* * *

He needed to leave. He needed to get out of that place, whatever it was, and return to Konoha. He mentally noted the irony in that statement: return to Konoha. In another universe, if he had known he'd said that, he might've even laughed. But emotion was too far gone, forgotten to him by now. The only person he even remotely cared about at this point was his brother, but Sasuke wanted him dead. At this very moment, he was probably training himself to destroy his older brother. But going back might heal old wounds. He hoped, anyway. It was a very foreboding thing, however; only the Hokage and the elders knew of the truth. Every other shinobi was kept in the dark for their own good. It was a conspiracy wracked in lies. Now he had to return. In order to do that, he had to survive long enough to tell the truth. And to tell the secrets that lay within the scroll.

The scroll. He would have attacked Madara on sight had he known beforehand. This plan, this masterful deception of the world, could not be completed. If it was, every human life would rest in Uchiha Madara's palm.

He closed his eyes momentarily to ward off the headache, before unravelling the scroll further and reading the second half.

And then there was _that._

Uchiha Itachi's world had been turned upside down. He would no longer be a rogue. He would no longer carry the weight of his past actions upon his shoulders. Standing up, he turned and ran out soundlessly into the hallway, turning to the direction of the exit. He had become a protector. His part in this gigantic play would be done, whether it cost him his life or not. And one thing rang out, clearer and more profound in his mind than any of the other myriad thoughts.

Uzumaki Naruto must survive.

* * *

"He has gotten the key ingredient. You know what to do."

"Hai," the three chorused, before disappearing. Once they had all gone, the figure in the shadows made himself known.

"I still don't see why he has to die."

Takehiko removed himself from his chair and walked over to gaze out his favorite window. There was a minute's pause before he spoke again.

"Tell me, what does it mean to sharpen a kunai?"

The other man let out an annoyed grunt. He really wasn't in the mood for one of Takehiko's philosophical lectures. Knowing, though, that the point wouldn't be made unless he "humored" the leader, he answered.

"It means you have a weapon with which to kill your enemies."

A humorless smirk graced Takehiko's face before he answered.

"You are both right and wrong, friend. You are right because that is indeed what it allows you to do. You are wrong because you didn't give the correct answer."

"Get to the point."

"But life doesn't work that way, does it? You cannot simply wait for the correct conclusions to come jumping into your lap, asking you to decipher their messages. Patience is a virtue that not many people-"

"And how does any of this relate to the sacrificing of Uchiha Itachi's life?" his other snapped, cutting him off.

"-have," Takehiko continued as if never interrupted, "And as both of us have learned in our careers, boldly rushing in and making both you and your motives known does not solve anything."

He turned to the particular shadow the mysterious man currently occupied and stared into his blue eyes. Eyes which glared back.

"Uchiha Itachi is a warning. You do not know what for. You do not _need_ to know what for. I am only one of three people who actually know what is about to happen to the world," he smirked, although the other man did not know why.

"And who are the other two?"

"Uchiha Madara."

The man was concerned by this, but did not stop to ponder. Pondering in this situation was dangerous. "That is only one person."

Takehiko smirked again.

* * *

"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

The fireball roared through the trees before exploding in a messy splash of light. The three pursuers continued, uninterrupted. Itachi bit back a swear; he should have expected nothing to happen. This annoying pursuit had been going on for over an hour now, and the former (at least in his mind, anyway) missing-nin had thrown jutsu after jutsu at his attackers. He knew who they were, obviously. The base's leader did not like his property stolen from right under his nose.

Itachi dropped down to the forest floor after dodging a quick bullet of water. He jumped after feeling the ground shake minutely, barely clearing a wall of stone that had emerged from the ground. That was another annoying part of this whole shit-storm. He had only seen teamwork of this level in the ANBU. One would try to distract him, only for another attacker to attempt a killing blow. His years of training in both Konoha and the Akatsuki was the one thing that had really, consistently saved his life.

Itachi used the momentum from his jump to head back into the trees. He pushed his chakra out, sensing for the pursuers. _Dammit,_ he thought, _they're still there._ He readied several smoke bombs and slammed them against the newest branch he landed on. A thick fog engulfed the area in moments, obscuring all vision. Itachi took the opportunity to summon two shadow clones and send them in opposite directions. He then took out a kunai, masked his chakra the best he could, and hoped for the impossible to happen. One second passed before he heard voices inside the smoke cloud with him. There were no footsteps accompanying them, so he head to rely on the sound of their voices alone.

"Shou-san, this is not the Kirigakure no Jutsu, correct?" a stoic voice inquired.

"I never thought you to be the joker, Yuuto-san," the one confirmed as Shou replied in a gruff voice.

"Shut up, both of you. I'll go after the one to the northwest, Shou is to go after the one headed to the southeast. Yuuto is to stay here. Move."

Two light pads confirmed the departure of two of the attackers. Itachi activated his Mangekyou silently. The hunted had become the hunter, at long last. From the sound of the man's voice, he was to Itachi's left, as well as a bit in front.

Perfect.

The Uchiha stalked towards the voice silently, kunai in hand. He could eventually make out a shadow, and could make out what looked to be an ANBU mask secured over the man's face. Itachi's brow furrowed slightly. It was curious, but not overly problematic. He knew, obviously, that the mask did not fully obscure the eyes unless worn a certain way. The man was facing to the right; Itachi angled his path of approach carefully so that he would be behind him. He brought his kunai up into a reverse-hold, preparing for a quick stab to his neck.

When he got within a foot of his target, Yuuto's right arm flung up while his entire body shifted suddenly to the right. Itachi found a kunai pointed directly at his _own_ neck. He did no so much as flinch.

"Do you think me to be ignorant and stupid?" his enemy began in that same stoic voice Itachi had heard earlier. A scowl could be barely detected on the Uchiha's visage.

"I know you are an Uchiha, and I know you have access to the Mangekyou Sharingan. We were all given a file on you, should this very situation happen, Itachi-san."

Now Itachi felt a small tinge of anger welling up inside him. He was sold out. Should he escape this predicament, someone was going to die. That much was certain. Taking a quick breath through his nose, Itachi substituted with a third clone he had formed before the other two, currently heading directly for Konoha and about a mile away in distance. Feeling a sudden rush of air as he landed on a branch, Itachi activated his one and only backup plan.

_Bunshin Daibakuha._

The explosion's roar echoed throughout the forest. Itachi allowed himself a small, satisfactory smirk. Even if Yuuto hadn't been killed or disabled, he would be, at the very least, disoriented for a good amount of time.

He pushed an even greater amount of chakra into his legs. Time was of the essence, he repeated in his mind. As if he didn't know that already.

But unfortunately it didn't want to cooperate. Of course, the explosion had attracted the attention of the other two pursuers. Itachi felt their chakra spike as they acknowledged the possible death of their other comrade. He knew it wouldn't take long for them to home onto his position again. Thankfully, though, he still had about seventy-five percent of his chakra. Itachi estimated the distance to Konoha to be approximately ten miles. Defense and offense no longer mattered; it was purely about speed. The Uchiha redirected three-fourths of his remaining chakra to his leg muscles. _Damn the consequences._ To anyone watching, the already-fast man would have appeared to just plainly disappear.

* * *

"Hokage-sama." The interruption by one of the ANBU who was currently supposed to be patrolling the outskirts of the village was unannounced, and momentarily caught Hiruzen by surprise. That meant it was important.

"What is it." An order, not a question.

"There is commotion and signs of battle roughly fifteen miles away from the village. The cause appears to be Uchiha Itachi. He is heading directly towards the village. The shinobi he is currently fighting are not known to us at this time."

The Hokage was already leaving his office. His battle armor gleamed in place of his robes.

"I want four squads of ANBU. You are to close the village gates, and all shinobi currently in the village are to be on standby. Border patrols are to remain scouting. If I do not report from the village gates within fifteen minutes exactly, all civilians are to be escorted to the hidden bunker within the Hokage Monument, and all shinobi, genin included, are to prepare for battle. Check the bingo book for information on Uchiha's assailants. _Do not inform the other villages._"

"Hai."

With the departure of the ANBU, Sarutobi was left to his own thoughts. He was one of few who know who exactly Uchiha Itachi was. For him to blow his cover so suddenly and try to make his way back to truly friendly territory meant that something incredibly dire must have happened.

Dire to Itachi meant cause for panic to other shinobi. Needless to say, this was a problem.

_'I need to retire.'_

* * *

When Itachi cut the chakra flow to his legs again, he was in very familiar territory. No matter how long it had been since he left, he still remembered the immediate forest surrounding Konohagakure no Sato. Not wasting any time to reminisce, he headed for the village gates. Itachi's Sharingan had long since deactivated, in order to send more chakra to his legs for the last sprint to the village. But it didn't matter now; he had made it. Exhausted and battle-scarred, but he made it.

It only took him a moment to notice the Hokage standing outside the village, gates closed shut, in his battle armor. The monkey staff Enma was at his side. Itachi noticed sixteen ANBU black ops shinobi hidden amongst the trees surrounding the old Sarutobi. The missing-nin jumped down to land in front of the Hokage, his hands raised in the universal sign of surrender, so as to not severely provoke the ANBU. He might be the infamous Uchiha Itachi, but sixteen elites were still out of his league.

"Hokage-sama! Quickly, I have something for you!"

Hiruzen, who had had his eyes closed up until this point, quickly walked over to Itachi. He flared his chakra twice to tell the ANBU to hold their positions.

"What is going on, Itachi-kun?" he asked.

Itachi, however, was starting to lose his careful control on his emotions. Sweat was rolling down his face like silver beads; his heart rate was accelerating. "Time is of the essence, Hokage-sama," he reached into one of his chest pockets with his right hand and pulled out a simple scroll. "You must take this scroll and-"

A sword pierced Uchiha Itachi's neck. Blood splattered heavily on the ground. All sound stopped.

The air behind the gurgling man twisted and conformed, first condensing into the emotionless mask of a wolf, which now sported a large crack twisting through the middle, and then into the body of a man. Eyes gleamed with craze mixed in bloodlust. A hand formed out of the air and grabbed the scroll mere milliseconds before the Hokage could. The dying Itachi could only watch in choking horror.

_'G-Genjutsu...?'_

Yuuto spun, grabbed his ninjato in a reverse-hold, and slid it out of Itachi's blood-soaked neck. His body dissipated back into the air as he moved away. The projectiles and jutsu the ANBU threw at him seemed to swirl and curl around him, striking the ground and slingshotting into trees. And then he was gone.

Itachi fell to his knees, weakness and failure overcoming him. His entire body seemed soaked in the blood that continuously poured from his neck like a faucet. It pooled in his mouth, choking him. Hiruzen grabbed his shoulders to stabilize him, if only for a moment. The aged Hokage nodded to him, silently commending him for his loyalty to the village, even in the end. He would have a hero's burial, next to his family. As if by one last surge of strength, Itachi's black eyes sharpened, as if piercing Sarutobi's very soul. He coughed the blood in his mouth onto the stained ground.

"Tell Sasuke."

The face of a shinobi who had sacrificed so much in his young life hit the ground, no longer impeded by the strength of muscle or the honor of men.

* * *

So. How're you all doing? Miss me? Yes no? We've been here before, I think. Heh. Recent manga chapters have both helped and hurt the story's plot, but I guess canon doesn't matter in a story like this. Er... too much. What else is there? Hold on, I gotta go searchin' for my carefully prepared, "HA! I HAVE RETURNED TO BLESS !" speech...

...

Can't find it.

Atrocious update times aside, Purge is still kicking. Dammit, I feel like I'm supposed to be saying something el- _oh._

I'M SORRY FOR KILLING ITACHI. Don't hurt me! D:

Yes, I know I just went and slaughtered probably the most significant person, character-wise, in the Naruto-verse. Yes, Itachi had the most character development in the entire damn series. Yes, Itachi was ranked in the top-ten on the "Most Unbelievably But Still Not Overpowered Badass" list. _Yes,_ Itachi's death was incredibly anti-climatic and probably lasted a total span of approximately ten seconds.

Unfortunately, it was necessary. Leads to drama 'n such next chapter, and affects a whole bunch of stuff plot-wise.

Now then. I know reviewing is not necessary, nor do I try to shamelessly ask, "OMFG REVIEW THIS PLOXXXX?1?" However, reviews have been scientifically proven to motivate authors to get off their asses and _update more_ (wink wink nudge nudge). Keep that in mind. Your ability to make me an incredibly happy camper rests in that arrow/other-mouse-cursor moving over that button down there and clicking. Keep that in mind!

~FicsRLulz


	7. Brotherhood, Part 2

Here's the next one. It's another short one, but it's a much sooner update, so I'm still proud of myself!

Enjoy.

Your Standard Disclaimer: Naruto is the sole property of Masashi Kishimoto. He is the masta, so be sure to respect his awesome-a powers of... storytelling-a. Ahem.

* * *

"_And then everything was burning. Death and destruction encompassed me, as war tore the one place I loved apart. I knew a new emotion then, one they call sorrow."_

_**Purge**_

_Brotherhood, Part 2_

_Thirty-six hours later._

The trek home from Wave had taken much shorter than it had arriving. Tazuna was no longer with them, so the three conscious shinobi could move with ease and quickness through the trees. Kakashi hoisted the wounded Yoshirou over his shoulder, while Sasuke and Sakura shared the burden of Naruto. The two genin were sweating however, a result of Naruto's somehow inhuman body heat he released even unconsciously. Upon reaching the Konoha gates, they were greeted with something totally unexpected.

Debris and scorched, dented trees littered the immediate area surrounding the open gates to the village. There was a single pool of blood that clogged and choked the dirt path leading to the massive doors. It looked to be a war-zone. Team 7 slowed down considerably, taking it all in.

"What happened here?" Sakura wondered, confounded. Her two conscious teammates said nothing, Sasuke giving the area a mere glimpse of attention and Kakashi surveying the multiple injured trees and the blood splotch with an analytical eye.

"An ambush, however unlikely this close to Konoha itself, is entirely possible. Be on guard entering the village, you two," the sensei ordered. Sasuke grunted, Sakura nodded.

Half expecting to see a full-fledged battle upon entering the village, the three were mystified and somehow relieved by the normal calmness they encountered. People walked to-and-fro, shopkeepers announced their products, a few children chased each other down the street under the watchful eyes of a parent or two. Some even seemed happier. Indeed, multiple older citizens looked to have had a great weight lifted off their shoulders, a reminder to a horrible event cut loose at long last.

The ANBU appearing a foot in front of them, however, was not expected in the least.

"Uchiha Sasuke is requested by the Hokage for a private meeting. Please head there immediately." His message delivered, the elite disappeared in a swirl of leaves. Sasuke looked towards his sensei for confirmation of his dismissal. Kakashi nodded slowly. Shifting his weight, the boy released his grip on Naruto, leaving Sakura to bear the full weight of the blond. Sasuke leaped onto the rooftops, speeding away towards the central building of Konoha.

Sighing, Kakashi turned towards his remaining student. "Come on, Sakura. Let's get these two to the hospital before they lose anymore blood." He started a brisk pace.

"R-Right," she stuttered, mildly surprised at Sasuke's sudden summoning. And with that, they headed off.

* * *

At long last, the meeting Hiruzen absolutely dreaded had arrived. He had been practicing for this, even before Itachi's death. He had hoped beyond _hope_ that he would not be the Hokage when this meeting took place, but, well, sometimes life was cruel.

There was a knock on the door once, twice, and the esteemed Hokage fought the intense urge to slam his head against the desk.

"Come in, Sasuke-kun."

Silently the door opened, and just as silently the Last Uchiha – oh, the horrible, horrible irony – strode in and stood in front of the leader of the village.

"Please, sit down. This will take a while." Sasuke could hear the weariness laced in those words, and even as he took a seat wondered if he had done anything wrong.

The Hokage didn't continue, and Sasuke didn't feel like speaking either. So they stayed like that for a good while, the air laced with one-sided tension and trepidation. It seemed like the miniscule world inside that office had been captured in a picture, detailing the whole environs as it was before the world collapsed around a single human being. Before the shit hit the fan.

Finally, at long last, the Hokage took a long, weary breath, and spoke.

"I'm going to be blunt, Sasuke," he started, "because I know you hate it when people mince their words around you."

Sasuke nodded. The Hokage straightened his posture, moved his hands from in front of his face and intertwined them on the desk.

"Uchiha Itachi is dead."

The world froze again, this time framing the instant a young twelve-year-old boy learned his life suddenly had no meaning. And then – life.

"What? You're kidding, right?" The first stage of a breakdown. Denial.

"Sasuke, I would dare not speak lies about something like this."

"That... no. No, Itachi wouldn't die that easily. It was probably some sort of genjutsu so the guy looked like him."

"The medical examiner confirmed his identity."

"But that bastard was supposed to stay alive until _I_ killed him!" Anger.

"Sasuke," the Hokage spoke. His tone was grittier, colder.

"He had the audacity to go and _die_ after he fucks my life over and tells me to go after him?"

"_Sasuke._"

"Is my life even worth anything anymore?" Hopelessness.

"UCHIHA SASUKE!" the Hokage roared. Sasuke looked up in stunned silence, finally brought out of his desperate tirade. "Listen to me, because what I have to tell you will change your views on _everything._ Will you be quiet until then?" Sasuke could only nod his head dumbly, although he looked close to collapsing out of sheer mental fatigue already.

Quickly, Sarutobi flashed through several handseals. The walls flashed with a dull light before returning to their original color.

"That was a silencing jutsu. An ANBU locked the door behind you after you entered. Look at me, Sasuke," the old man ordered, forcing Sasuke to meet his eyes. "What I am about to tell you is an S-classed village secret. It, under absolutely _no_ circumstances, leaves this room without my direct permission. The consequences for breaking this rule are severe and immediate. _Do you understand?_" The man's eyes were cold and direct, showing the truth behind the words. Sasuke nodded hesitantly.

The Hokage took a steadying breath. "Five years ago, the Uchiha planned a coup de etat to overthrow village leadership. Konoha had been growing weary of them because certain elements suspected an Uchiha controlled the Kyuubi when it attacked twelve years ago. Yes, that is possible, and has happened before."

Sasuke opened his mouth to speak, but Sarutobi held up a silencing hand. "Let me continue," he spoke. "I tried to talk Danzou and the councilmen out of it, but they would have none of my so-called 'weakness'. Itachi was supposed to be the Uchiha's inside man in the ANBU. When the coup occurred, he was meant to cause chaos and disrupt the movement of the ANBU while the Military Police secured all vital governing assets in Konoha."

He paused, taking a breath. "In reality, Itachi was a double agent, working for Konoha," he said, sighing. "Sasuke, your brother was a pacifist. You know what that is, correct?"

The young genin managed to work himself out of his mental daze quick enough to answer. "Y-Yes, it's someone who loves peace and hates any kind of violence."

"Your brother grew up during the Third Shinobi War," Hiruzen said, sighing, "Even before he entered the Academy, he had already been subjected to all sorts of loss of life and the repercussions of violence. Moving on, though, Danzou and the more radical elements of the Council eventually grew tired of my peace talks and simply ordered Itachi to wipe the clan out." He paused and looked the shocked Sasuke dead in the eyes, as if he was peering into his very soul and heart.

"Sasuke, Itachi didn't kill you because he thought you weren't worth it. He didn't kill you because, above all else, Itachi _loved_ you. His mission as specified by the Council was to kill every Uchiha clan member. That included you. Itachi spared you because he simply couldn't and because he cared for you more than anyone else.

"After the clan was wiped out, Itachi came to me and begged for me to protect you from Danzou and the Council, who would rather have you dead. Then he left as a traitor, infamous for slaughtering one of the most powerful clans in one night."

"Then why did he tell me all those things? That I was weak and pathetic and wasn't even worth his blade?" Sasuke all but screamed, obviously confused and boggled by this sudden information.

"Itachi wanted you to kill him," Hiruzen spoke softly. Sasuke's eyes rose in shock. "Your part in his plan, Sasuke, was to kill him and become the hero of Konoha, thus redeeming the Uchiha name. You were supposed to wipe the slate clean."

Seeing the look in Sasuke's eyes, the Hokage knew the conversation was finished for now. "I will give you the rest of the day to digest all of this," he spoke, "If you have any more questions, feel free to come back tomorrow, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke nodded and rose numbly from his seat. He left through the door, closed it softly behind him, and was gone.

The old man sighed. Sasuke was obviously shocked, overloaded with information. How could he not be? His life had essentially just been flipped upside down and spun around a good hundred times. _Poor child,_ he sighed mentally. That brought up another thought, however. _I heard Naruto-kun was hospitalized today. I should pay him a visit._ Rising from his seat and squaring his shoulders, Sarutobi Hiruzen left his office and began the journey to the hospital.

Just another day as the Hokage.

* * *

This place seemed so foreign. A place shrouded in lies, deceit, villainy. He absently wondered which room they had done the plotting in. His whole house was really an option. His father – no, the man didn't deserve such a title – _Fugaku_, was the head of the clan. The man who raised him also planted the seeds of rebellion in the clan. It was his _father's_ fault his life was so screwed up!

_...certain elements suspected an Uchiha controlled the Kyuubi when it attacked twelve years ago._

Wait.

All but sprinting to his clan's old central library, Sasuke tried to remember everything he knew about the lore his parents use to tell him at his bedside. _They said an Uchiha was once able to control the beast. What was his name? It started with an 'M'... Madichu, Madaka?_

He kept testing out names until he reached the bookshelf in the far back of the room. Rifling quickly through the dust and grime – he mentally grimaced and made a note to do some serious cleaning after this – Sasuke threw book after book from their places until he found what he was looking for.

_Uchiha Lore and History: A Documentary_

He flipped to the beginning of the book detailing the clan's founding, sneezing once as the dust assaulted his face.

_Legend has it that the Uchiha clan was founded by Uchiha Madara, a man of unparalleled strength and ability. He was known to have control over the legendary Kyuubi no Yoko._

_Bingo!_ he thought.

_Madara-sama lived during the reign of the Shodai Hokage, Senju Hashirama._

Sasuke let loose a loud curse. The man was obviously dead. If he was of the era of the Shodai, he had been living a century ago, maybe more.

_Uchiha Madara also appeared to have an advanced form of the Mangekyou Sharingan._

Advanced form? Wasn't that kind of redundant? The Mangekyou _was_ the advanced form of the Sharingan. Curious, Sasuke flipped to the index in the back of the book, sneezing yet again as dust was removed from its resting place.

_Sharingan, subsection M for Mangekyou... subsection E? Eternal Mangekyou? _Sasuke stared at the words blankly for a moment, their hidden meaning not registering in his brain. _Page 241._ He almost tore the pages from their bindings, he turned the pages so quickly. He reached page 241 and...

There were no words. The page was blank.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," he ground out.

Think, _think._ The Uchiha were a clever, xenophobic bunch. The worst thing imaginable was for big clan secrets to be exposed to outsiders. What did they have that no-one... else... had...?

_Oh, duh._

Sasuke would have facepalmed if both his hands weren't firmly gripping the book. He took a moment to get back on track, then activated his Sharingan. Words sprung to life on the page.

_Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan: the highest form of the Sharingan. After going blind from overuse of the normal Mangekyou, the transplanting of another Mangekyou user's eyes – preferably someone with strong blood ties to the other user – will restore the vision of the first user and let them achieve the Eternal Mangekyou. The user will now be able to use Mangekyou jutsu without their vision being negatively impacted. The Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan also greatly expands the user's lifespan, rivaling eternal life._

Sasuke paused, and reread the last sentence a good five times. His mind blank, he used his finger as a placeholder for the page and flipped back to the section on Madara.

_Uchiha Madara was banished from Konohagakure no Sato after doing battle with Senju Hashirama. He felt the Uchiha were unjustly treated by the Senju clan, their rivals, who at that time ruled over Konoha. The rest of the clan did not agree with him, and so banished him from their ranks. It is assumed that Uchiha Madara died soon afterwards in an unknown location._

Sasuke closed the book, knowing the last sentence was complete and utter bullshit. This man, Madara, was probably responsible for the Kyuubi's attack on Konoha, and as a direct result the Uchiha massacre. Uchiha Madara was the reason his family plotted a coup, the reason his brother had to sacrifice himself, and the reason he grew up alone.

_You were supposed to wipe the slate clean._

It was now Uchiha Sasuke's duty, as the last loyal clan-member, to kill Madara and fulfill his brother's request. He would kill the man, avenge his clan, and rebuild the Uchiha as the new cornerstone of the Konoha society. He would do this different than Itachi. Sasuke was not stupid: he knew, from reading about Madara's abilities, that he was far, far out of his league. He would definitely need help.

He replayed his previous behavior, how he acted around everyone. A frown marred his pristine features. That type of brooding would not be suitable anymore. If he wanted to change the clan and wipe the slate clean, like Itachi wanted, he would need to first change the way Konoha viewed the clan. And the clan was him. It was time to set some examples.

Rising from the ground, leaving the disheveled heap of books behind him, Sasuke turned and exited first the library, then the Uchiha grounds.

He needed to visit Naruto.

* * *

So, as we can see, this chapter was basically character development, character development, and some more character development.

It is of my opinion that Sarutobi never really got anything to show for his titles in canon. So I gave him a reason to be called "The Professor". This is a basic contrast of canon, where Madara molds Sasuke after the truth behind Itachi and the Massacre are revealed. This time, it is Sarutobi doing the molding, though very subtle.

Remember, reviews have a direct correlation to faster update times! It's a proven fact! And thanks to everyone that reviewed last chapter, as well. You guys are awesome.

~FicsRLulz


	8. Object in My Eyes

**Still alive, and to you glorious readers I give you a double chapter special!**

**Disclaimer: Nope.**

* * *

"_I felt my body burning, my very soul wrenching, as I saw the leaves burning, the flowers withering away from the heat and the soot and the ash. And then I ran, lest I share their fate."_

_**Purge**_

_Object in My Eyes_

Knock, knock.

Sasuke opened the door to Naruto's hospital room to find the bandaged genin in an unusually serious conversation with the leader of Konoha. He didn't recall ever seeing that look on Naruto's face, one of thoughtfulness, seriousness, and simple urgency all wrapped up in one bow-tied package. And it looked like the Hokage was doing more listening than lecturing. Their moment was broken by the knock; Sarutobi turned to regard the young Uchiha with a careful eye.

"Why hello there, Sasuke-kun. Come to pay your teammate a visit?"

Sasuke nodded. "I came to discuss something with him. If you're busy, I can-"

"No, it's quite alright," the Sandaime spoke, cutting him off, "Naruto and I were just having a small conversation about a certain friend of ours."

"I do not mean to pry, but do I know this person?" Sasuke asked, intrigued.

"You will eventually."

With those peculiar words, Hiruzen stood and walked to the door. "I will see you two later."

"Bye, jii-jii!" Naruto shouted, waving his bandaged arm obnoxiously. Sasuke sighed, and went to the bedside seat. He dropped heavily into the chair and stared at Naruto with the patented Uchiha "tell me everything you know" look.

"Dobe, what were you two talking about?"

"I thought you said you didn't want to pry, teme," Naruto returned smugly, sending his words back at him.

"Hn."

"So what brings you to my humble abode, Sasuke-chan?"

"Don't call me that. And I came here to... ask for your help," Sasuke mentally slapped himself for saying those words. _Good of the clan, good of the clan, good of the clan._

Silence, and then:

"Who are you, and what the _fuck_ have you done with Uchiha Sasuke?"

Sasuke sighed. Again.

"I've done some soul-searching, and-"

"Oooooh, you mean you finally pulled that huge stick out of your ass?"

"You're _really_ making this more complicated than it has to be," Sasuke ground out, seriously considering using the Goukakyuu on him.

"My apologies, anal-retentive-kun. Please continue."

"Like I was saying, I need your help."

Naruto snickered.

"Okay, you know what?" Sasuke took a moment to punch Naruto's left arm. Hard.

"OUUUUUUUUUCH!"

"Now, shut up and listen. I recently found out that the immortal founder of the Uchiha was the one to send the Kyuubi to attack Konoha." Now that got Naruto's attention.

"_**FUCK YOU, MADARA!"**_

_Chill, Kyuubi._

"And in return, that's what got the Uchiha plotting the coup de etat and-"

"Wait, _what?_"

"I'll explain the details some other time. Like I was saying, that's what made them think about a coup and, in return, what made Itachi kill them all."

"So that's who you wanted to kill?"

"Dammit dobe, I said details _later._ Now that Itachi's dead and I know the truth-"

"I feel so left out of the loop right now."

"-I realized that Madara-" _**"MADARA!"**_ "-was really the one that fucked my life over, not Itachi. And since he's so far ahead of me I figured I would ask people for help. You're just one of them," Sasuke finally concluded.

"So, let me get this straight. Madara ruined your life, too?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah, pretty mu- what?"

Naruto realized his critical error too late, and paled. "Uh... nothing."

"Dobe."

Naruto sighed depressedly. "Promise you won't tell anyone. Jii-san told me I can tell people if I wanted to, but it's like an S-classed village secret."

"Uh... sure," Sasuke replied, quirking an eyebrow.

"Alright then, here it goes. I am the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Yoko."

Sasuke looked at him blankly. "What's a Jinchuuriki?"

"Basically, I'm the container of the Kyuubi. The Yondaime didn't kill it, because bijuu can't be killed. He just sealed it in me. That's why the villagers shoot me glares and hate me and stuff, because they think I'm the Kyuubi incarnate."

Silence. Sasuke looked at him, a weird tint in his eyes. Naruto shuffled under the sheets nervously, waiting for the obvious rejection.

"Can I see it?"

"Er... what?"

"Can I see the Kyuubi?"

"Sure, I guess," Naruto replied awkwardly. He drew on the fox's chakra, then fixed his gaze on a point on the floor. Remembering what the Kyuubi told him, he imagined the shape the fox took on the bridge when they were fighting Zabuza. Slowly, surely, the vessel formed on the ground, taking the shape of a fox with nine tails. Naruto went into his mind and 'kicked' the Kyuubi's consciousness out of his mind and into the body.

Fully formed, the Kyuubi fell onto its side, and began twitching. Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"Teme, meet the Kyuubi. Most powerful of all the bijuu, yaddah yaddah."

"Why is he twitching?"

"Huh? Oh. You see, like you said, he was controlled by Madara-" **"GAH!"** "-to attack the village, and harbors a never-ending hatred for him. So saying his name once triggers a hateful response, but repeating it more than that sends him into a seizure. It's his one true weakness."

Naruto pulled back the sheets of his hospital bed, calmly got up, and walked over to the spazzing chakra fox. He then proceeded to violently kick it in the head until it stopped twitching. His job done, the blonde walked back to the bed and got back under the covers.

The Kyuubi, in the mean time, had recovered from his near heart attack and was calmly sitting on his haunches. He regarded his vessel with an evil eye.

"**I'll eat you."**

"You're welcome, fuzzy!"

The Kyuubi turned towards Sasuke next. **"Greetings, Uchiha. I see you have never seen a bijuu before. Are you afraid?"**

Sasuke sniffed indignantly. "No, not really." This thing was the feared Kyuubi no Yoko? Didn't seem so tough.

Another awkward silence enveloped the room. It bothered Naruto.

"So... yeah. Kyuubi, Sasuke. Sasuke, Kyuubi."

"**Whatever."**

"Hn."

Naruto sweatdropped. Why had he just tried to introduce two of the most antisocial people in the world?

"**Well, I can see how much time this wasted. Excuse me while I go sleep,"** the fox snarked, promptly dissipating.

Naruto turned to Sasuke, who was looking incredibly broody. "So, I assume by 'helping' you, I'm supposed to get stronger with you. How can I do that when I'm in the hospital?"

"Well, aren't you the impatient one," Sasuke replied, "We're not going after him _now_. I'm thinking... ten years? I think that's enough time."

"You mean if you don't get killed before then?" Naruto jabbed.

Sasuke 'pfft'ed. "If anyone's gonna die first, it's gonna be you."

"Teme!"

"Dobe."

Their bickering was conveniently interrupted by the opening of the door. Kakashi and Sakura walked in, the latter's hair noticeably shorter.

"Sakura-chan!" a cry rang out, "What happened to your beautiful hair!"

She shrugged apathetically, further horrifying the blonde. "It got in the way. Hello, Sasuke-kun," she added.

Sasuke nearly had a conniption. Where was the excessive hugging? What happened to the banshee cries? The molesting of his arm? The _excessive hugging?_

_Kami _does_ care... _he thought dreamily, staring up to the ceiling.

"I'd hate to interrupt this wonderful bonding moment," Kakashi spoke up, his eye-smile in place, "but I've got some great news!"

The team listened eagerly, Naruto already imagining the heaping amounts of ram-

"I've judged you all worthy to enter the Chuunin Exams!"

Naruto's dream disappeared in an instant, and he was left with a certain feeling of longing. In moments, though, it was replaced by elation.

"Woohoo!"

Kakashi gave him an eye-smile. He had expected that reaction.

"Now," he continued, "the exam is in two months. The jounin haven't even convened for recommendations yet, but in light of Naruto's... predicament, I thought it would be worth telling you three in advance. That being said, while our favorite blonde is recovering," he turned towards Sasuke and Sakura, who had taken up position next two her sitting teammate, "we will be working on chakra control. Naruto, I'll see if I can dig something up for you that doesn't focus on your arms, so you can practice while you recover. Once we're all fit for duty again, we'll start learning some jutsu and do some more teamwork exercises. Sound good?"

A trio of nods was his answer. "Good. I'm going to go visit Yoshirou-san quickly. Naruto, get better. The sooner you're out of here, the sooner we can start the full training."

"Hai, sensei!"

"Hn. I might as well go with you, I guess. I've finished paying my respects anyway."

"Teme!"

"Dobe."

"_Teme!_"

"_Dobe."_

"Alright, alright. Let's go, Sasuke," Kakashi interrupted. The two exited the room after giving waves – or in Sasuke's case, a barely noticeable nod – to the room's other occupants.

As the door closed behind them, the room fell into a tense, awkward silence. Naruto didn't really know what to talk about, and Sakura's staring was bothering him a little. Of course, he was happy she was even looking in his direction, but still! It was weird!

"Er, Sakura-ch-"

His voice was cut off when she wrapped her arms around him and _squeezed._ The air left his lungs, but for a very different reason. Where had this come from?

"You're such an idiot!" she spoke thickly. The hug lasted for only a couple of seconds before she returned to his side, sitting in Sasuke's vacated seat. Naruto just looked at her in confusion.

"I was so worried," she continued, clenching her fists on her knees. Her eyes were screwed shut. "You were lying there in your own blood, Naruto! Why the hell would you do something like that? And all I could do stand there and look at you; I had seriously thought you were dead. I mean, we may not have gotten along that well in the past, but I don't want you to _die!_ I didn't know what to do – what if you couldn't breathe? What if you couldn't be a shinobi anymore? What if-"

"Sakura-chan!"

His voice brought her back from her rambling, and it was only then that she noticed the liquid fogging her eyes. She wiped her face quickly; now wasn't the time for tears. She met his eyes for the first time since she started speaking. He was looking at her with a small smile on his face. His eyes were bright, if a tad confused.

She sighed and collected herself. "I'm going to change, Naruto. That's my promise to you. I've found out what I want to do with myself. After I leave, I'm going to go find a shinobi doctor and ask him or her to teach me medical ninjutsu. If that doesn't work, I'm going to head to the library and find all the scrolls I can on the subject. I won't slow either of you down – you or Sasuke."

She had been walked towards the door as she spoke, and was reaching for the door. Naruto was still reeling a little from the changes that had overcome both of his teammates. He had half a mind to let her go, seeing as the conversation was pretty much over. But the other half of his mind told him to call out to her one last time.

"Sakura-chan."

She paused, but didn't turn around.

"You look really good with short hair."

She left the room, keeping her back to him so he didn't see her smile.


	9. Arc 2 Chapter 1: Men of Fortune

**This is the second chapter of the double chapter special. If you haven't read the previous one, click that button now!**

**Disclaimer: Still nope.**

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"_That terrible incident taught me to keep moving. It was never good to stay in one place for too long. The hunters, the terrible plague that was mankind, sought me out. They screamed for my flesh, the very life that coursed through my bones."_

_**Purge**_

_Men of Fortune_

"We're totally gonna kick ass!"

The two months had come and gone faster than any of them had realized. Naruto had been released two weeks after the visit from Sasuke and the others, and all had been training hard in the limited time they had. Kakashi had mostly drilled them in chakra control and teamwork, with the occasional C-Ranked supplemental jutsu thrown in for good measure. That wasn't to say he didn't give them one-on-one time, however; he had given them all the individual support he could, but unfortunately there were some things that even Sharingan Kakashi didn't have a good grasp on. Sakura was mostly forced to rely on her intellect to get her through the few medical jutsu scrolls she had found at the library.

They were now walking towards the Academy, paying no heed to the multiple foreign shinobi mingling in the crowds. After the situation with Gaara last month, which resolved itself upon Sasuke's appearance on the tree - "Hey, I did look pretty badass," he had said afterwards. "You mean emo?" was Naruto's retort. - none of the other foreigners bothered them all that much, although they did keep an eye on them like good shinobi would.

"Arrogance will get you killed, Naruto," Sakura replied in a sing-song voice.

"It isn't arrogance if it's true, Sakura-chan!"

"As much as I hate to admit to the dobe's point," Sasuke added, "they don't stand a _chance._"

This conversation continued until they reached the Academy, where they found the first test: genjutsu.

"You've got to be shitting me," Sakura said eloquently.

"Let's just go," Sasuke replied, watching the freaky kid in brilliant neon green spandex attempt to challenge the "genin" guards. "The less competition, the better."

Naruto watched in fascination as a girl, who reminded him of a panda for some strange reason – grabbed the eyebrows dude and hauled him off towards the stairs, with an impassive Hyuuga following behind. He turned around and followed his own teammates up the stairs.

Once inside, the expected happened.

"SASUKE-KUN!"

"Oof!"

That was Ino, barreling into the last Uchiha. Sakura had moaned and covered her ears before turning to Naruto, a pleading look in her emerald eyes.

"Please tell me I wasn't that bad?"

Naruto chuckled. "Unfortunately you were, Sakura-chan."

Sakura pouted at him. "Meanie."

"It's not like you're like that now, right? You've gotten much better since we came back from Wave."

"Oi, oi, it looks like the rookies are all here!" Kiba shouted, waving at them.

They walked over to their friends, Ino forcing Sasuke to give her a piggyback ride. Indeed, both Team 8 and Team 10 were all there already. Shikamaru was leaning against the wall, and Hinata quickly hid behind Shino when she saw Naruto approaching. Some eyebrows were raised at Sakura's new hairstyle, but nobody said anything.

"Well this ought to be fun!" Naruto spoke loudly, his eternal grin on his face. "Who would've thought all of our senseis recommended us?"

"We're totally gonna kick ass, right Hinata?" Kiba bellowed.

"A-ano, overconfidence will g-get you hurt, Kiba-kun!"

Sasuke and Sakura shared a grin; it was almost a mirror image of their earlier conversation.

"You people really need to keep it down, you guys. Your loudness might get you into trouble with some of the other groups," a new voice spoke. An older genin had strolled over to them, adjusting his glasses. His white hair was an oddity, but not totally uncommon. A Konoha hitai-ate marked him as one of their own.

"**Be careful of this one, boy,"** the Kyuubi growled in Naruto's ear, "**he smells like snakes. Hideous, treacherous creatures they are."**

"Who are you?" Sasuke ground out.

"My name is Yakushi Kabuto," he spoke, adjusting his glasses again. It seemed to be some sort of habit. "This is my seventh time taking the exams."

"Ha! You must really suck!" Kiba bellowed. Kabuto's grin didn't fade; in fact, it seemed as though he was waiting to point that fact out.

"You may say what you like, but in my adventures here I've gathered quite the collection of information. I can tell you anything about anyone currently in this room." He held up a stack of cards. They featured information on the shinobi, but the accuracy was anyone's guess. There seemed to be quite the number of cards; the eyes of Naruto, Sasuke, and Shikamaru narrowed. He might not show it, but if even a little of that information was accurate, this guy was a clear threat, Konoha shinobi or not.

Naruto and Sasuke shared a look. "Give me info on Sabaku no Gaara," Sasuke spoke.

Kabuto 'hmm'd as he flipped through the cards. "Ah, here we go. Sabaku no Gaara, genin of Sunagakure. Son of the current Kazekage, along with his siblings Kankuro and Temari. He's completed no D-ranks, nine C-ranks, five B-ranks, and an A-rank. His jutsu are unknown, but it says here that he's never been injured on a mission."

There was a good long pause as that all sunk in.

"We're doomed!" Kiba wailed. The group rolled their eyes at his quick change of outlook.

"Anyone else you want information on?" Kabuto asked patiently.

They were interrupted by a mountain of a man shunshining into the room, along with all of the chuunin proctors.

"Alright, you worms, get to your seats! The first stage of the chuunin exam starts now!"

Naruto was freaking out. He had always been bad a written tests; he wasn't a complete idiot by any means, but he learned practically. It wasn't like there was anything wrong with that – it just meant he was always bad a written tests! The young shinobi took a quick look around. Sasuke was brooding and Sakura was eagerly going to town. He wanted her book smarts like she wanted his chakra reserves. He returned to staring hatefully at this piece of paper that, should it have its way, would prevent him from advancing his career. To hell with that!

_Question #4: An enemy ninja is at a range of twenty meters and is behind a tree. There is a hundred meter clearing to your left, beyond which is another tree line. Given that the enemy will break away into the clearing at a speed of thirty-six kilometers an hour, what is the optimal angle of approach? List the proper equation and use it to show your work._

_Kami, what the fuck does that even _mean? Naruto cried in his mind. How the hell was he supposed to solve this stupidity? What had they ever done to him? Hell, if he wasn't as smart as he was, he could've sworn they were telling... him... to cheat...

Sigh.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," he barely mouthed. His hands were held below the desk, and the clone went into a henge as it was forming. He made a farting noise to mask the smoke. When a chuunin along the wall looked at him and raise an eyebrow, Naruto gave him a sheepish grin and acted like he was trying to blow the smell away. The chuunin shook his head a little, but said nothing.

The fly buzzed its way up to the ceiling and planted itself as it looked around for a worthy person to copy from. A sneeze alerted the fly to a particular person. Sakura was idly tapping her pencil on her paper – a paper which had all the answers filled out, save for the tenth one that Ibiki had mentioned earlier.

_Thanks, Sakura-chan!_

The fly focused all of its mental power on memorizing as many answers as it could, then silently dispelled without anyone knowing otherwise. Naruto quickly wrote the answers down before the memories faded, and it was just in time, too. Ibiki called a halt to the test as soon as he finished on the ninth question.

"Pencil's down!" he bellowed. "It is time for the final question!"

Ibiki gave the tenth do-or-die question: if you attempted to answer the question but failed, you would be prevented from taking the exam forever and would be stuck at genin; if you opted out, you would fail these particular exams, but would be able to take them in the future. Naruto and his teammates wisely kept their mouths shut, but didn't budge in their seats. Hinata, who was sitting next to Naruto, though, was having other thoughts.

_M-maybe I should. I mean, I could always try to get stronger and try it again, and I don't want to hold Kiba-kun and Shino-kun back if I fail..._

She started to raise her hand to opt out, but someone next to her cleared their throat. She turned to look at Naruto, who was staring her down with intensity. He subtly shook his head, giving her a thumbs up under the desk. Her eyes widened a little, but visibly she had no other reaction other than the small nod she gave him in return. He gave her a soft grin.

_No, I can't do that to my teammates. If he believes in me I can do anything._

Her resolve was strengthened and she turned back to face the proctor with determination, much to the pride of her blonde comrade.

"Well then, if no one else wishes to leave..." Ibiki announced, pausing for dramatic effect, "you all pass!"

Team 7 looked at each other and shared victorious grins. One down, two to go. It was after Ibiki finished answering questions about what the hell just happened that the window burst open and a crazy woman flung herself inside, a banner announcing her incredibly glorious (and hot) appearance.

"Listen up, maggots! I am Mitarashi Anko and I am the second, and by _far_ the greatest in terms of sheer sexual appeal, proctor of these exams! From now until the end of my test, you are all my bitches!" She pumped her fist. "Now let's go and die!"

Nobody moved.

"MOVE IT YOU 'TARDS! Training ground 44, go go go!" she shouted. At once the collective remaining genin hauled ass outside towards their destination.

She turned towards Ibiki. "There are more than last year. Are you getting soft? And did I see that brat among the crowd?"

He grinned at her. "No and yes. They all have good wills in them this year. Harder to break. And yeah, the brat was there. You should've seen how he passed. Sneaky little bastard, he is."

"I'll be sure to keep an ear on him, then. Well, I'm off. Seeya scarface!"

Outside, Team 7 was walking towards the legendary Forest of Death. Naruto had his hands behind his head.

"Hey Sakura-chan, have I ever told you how much I love you?"

She stuck her tongue out at him and grinned. "You're welcome."

"Get a room," Sasuke grunted, only to be whacked by two different hands. "Hey, it's true!"

"Alright, this is the aptly named Forest of Death. People die here! Isn't that fun?" Anko gushed. Multiple children looked at her like she was crazy. Which she was. Kinda.

"Anyway, here's what's happening. You're going to go over there," she pointed to a booth behind her, where two chuunin were sitting, "and you're going to pick up a scroll. The scroll will be either a Heaven scroll or an Earth scroll. After getting it you will sign the wavers and go to your assigned gate, where you will wait for us to give you the start signal. Your goal, once in there, is to get the scroll you _don't_ have. If you have an Earth scroll, you're trying to find a squad with a Heaven, and vice versa. Only a limited number of teams will pass. You have five days to get to the tower in the middle of the forest, where you will turn in both scrolls and wait for the second exam to conclude. Oh, and don't open your scroll while you're in the forest."

"Why not?" a random genin asked.

Anko's grin was positively frightening. "Bad things happen. One other thing! Try not to die. It's too much paperwork, you see."

With that last shiver-inducing statement, the genin waited for the chuunin proctors to call them over.

"Konoha's Team 7!"

They went into the booth and closed the flaps behind them. A proctor handed Naruto a Heaven scroll. Kakashi's genin shared a knowing look and then nodded. Naruto handed the scroll to Sakura.

"All set? Your gate is number ten. Good luck, kids. Make Konoha proud," one of the chuunin spoke to them. They gave him a nod and a collective thumbs up.

Once all the squads had their scrolls and were lined up at their entrances around the tower, Anko projected her voice through the microphone seals that were attached to the gates. "I wish you all luck. Make your villages proud. BEGIN!"

All the genin rushed into the forest, eager to cause bodily harm for meaningless wrapped-up paper.

Team 7 rushed through the trees as a unit. For two months Kakashi had drilled the essence of teamwork into them to the point where they couldn't think otherwise. And with Sasuke actually willing to work with others and Sakura getting her head into the game, they had been able to come into their own. It had shocked them when they realized how well they meshed with most of their negatives out of the way.

Naruto headed the front with his advanced senses, primarily his nose, and his hard-hitting power. Sakura brought up the middle as the medic, even if she was still working out the kinks in her technique. Sasuke brought up the rear as the mobile and ranged support. His Sharingan also gave an advantage in eyesight that was only rivaled by the Hyuuga's Byakugan.

"So what's the plan?" Naruto spoke up. "The Kiri squad was in the gate to our left, the Ame freaks were in the one to our right."

"Let's get further into the woods, I say. People will be trying to start fights right away. If we set up an ambush point at a likely point of crossing I might be able to snare something with my wire traps," Sasuke spoke up.

"Sounds like a plan," Sakura added, "If we wait a while we can attack a group when they're either complacent or tired while we've remained fresh, and there will be a likelier chance that they have both scrolls."

"Alright then, full steam ahead!" Naruto exclaimed.

They pushed further into the woods, well into the end of the first day. By midday of the second, they had successfully secured a likely point of convergence – a clearing by a stream that would easily qualify as a resting and regrouping point. Sasuke had laid traps all around the tree clearing, while Naruto had henged some shadow clones into flora and fauna. The original members hid in various parts of the forest, making sure that, while staying well-hidden, they still had visuals on each other and could communicate via hand signals. As a secondary means to communicate, a clone accompanied each of them. They settled themselves into their positions and waited well into the evening.

It wasn't until eleven in the night, when they were preparing to get settle for their shifts, that the plan struck gold. A squad of Mist nin – the same ones that started to the left of the squad – had come into the clearing. Apparently they had attempted to follow the Konoha team, thinking them to be easy pickings. Instantly Kakashi's students were on alert and ready.

"They're around here somewhere. Probably sleeping or something," snickered one of the Kiri genin. He walked towards the stream, assuming their targets had set up camp there... only to fall into a concealed pit.

At the unspoken signal Team 7 sprung into action. Sakura, remaining in the treeline, set loose a trio of kunai from each hand, which then multiplied into twenty four via the Kage Shuriken no Jutsu. Sasuke, Sharingan blazing like an inferno in the night, rocketed towards the genin that Naruto's clones had chosen to distract. He ducked easily under the wild punch the Kiri nin had thrown towards his face and snapped a kick towards the back of his victim's knee. It connected, and as the genin of the Mist dropped onto his knee Sasuke delivered a devastating uppercut to the chin. The enemy collapsed without a sound.

While Sasuke had been busy dispatching his enemy, Naruto had tackled the one that had been focused on Sakura's thrown kunai. He had gotten onto his back, and using his body weight to keep him pinned, had relentlessly slammed his head into the ground until there was no more movement. It was dirty and brutish, but it was damned effective.

The clones that hadn't gone to assist Sasuke had continued to flow into the hole in which the first Kiri-nin was trapped. He had put up a valiant fight, but in the limited space and against the sheer numbers there was only so much he could do before he too succumbed.

When Sakura jumped onto the forest floor, Sasuke turned to her with a kunai held ready.

"I hunt silently, I hunger wordlessly."

"I'm an owl," she responded quickly. Satisfied, he sheathed the kunai.

"Nothing on this one, guys!" Naruto called over after finishing his search. Sasuke turned to his own unconscious foe and swiftly searched his backpack and pockets. He gave a satisfied smirk, flashing the scroll to his teammates before tossing it to Naruto as they had all agreed upon earlier.

"Earth scroll."

"Booyah! Let's tie these suckers up and get out of here!"

They traveled for another mile, leaving the Kiri-nin gagged and tied to separate trees and out of line of sight from each other. They found a relatively secure, easily defensible position and set up camp for the night.

The next morning they set out bright and earlier towards the tower. Everything went smoothly for around two hours, until a flurry of kunai and shuriken forced them to dodge.

A lone Kusa-nin blocked their path.

"Well, isn't this interesting. You three have fantastic teamwork," she hissed. The Konoha squad had stopped on a branch above her's, giving them an optimal position for either an attack or a retreat. They had their eyes narrowed, but didn't bother questioning her goals or motives, given the outline of the test. Instead, they kept an eye out for any teammates that might have attempted to flank around them.

Kurama was _hissing._ **"Orochimaru."**

Naruto's eyes widened. They had all learned about the rogue member of the Sannin. He knew how outmatched they were. "Sasuke, Sakura, we need to leave _now_," he urged quietly.

The definite pedophile chuckled at them. "Glad to know I'm still remembered, even among the bijuu." He then proceeded to simply rip the Kusa-nin's face off of him, revealing the glowing yellow eyes he was so infamous for. Team 7 tried to suppress their shudders. It wasn't easy.

"Why are you here? Why bother interfering in the exams?" Sasuke asked carefully. The nuke-nin simply leered at him and licked his lips.

"Why, it's simple, Sasuke-kun. I'm here for you!"

And with that, he lunged.

Knowing they were at a severe disadvantage, the loyal Konoha shinobi jumped further back into the woods, but this time they stayed together. Kiri genin they could handle, but it would be suicide to split up and let the snake pick them off individually. Naruto flung kunai in an attempt to distract him and buy time for break-away, but Orochimaru ignored them like the nuisances they were and closed the distance even more. He made a grab for Sasuke, who was only able to dodge due to his Sharingan and timely interference from Sakura, who had flung shuriken at the snake's arms. Orochimaru hissed and sent a trio of snakes out of his sleeve towards the pinkette, who backpedalled, which allowed Naruto to come in and quickly dispatch them with kunai to their heads.

"Goddammit he's persistent!" Naruto growled. Sakura nodded wordlessly and they sped off towards their third teammate. Their primary objective now was to not get separated and make sure Sasuke stayed safe; he was Orochimaru's target, and they didn't want to know what would happen if he got his hands on their friend.

"Come back here, Sasuke-kun! I just want to make you an offer you can't refuse!" the rogue shinobi sung. He was easily keeping pace with Sasuke's fasted speed, but he didn't bother catching up to him; the end result was only as glorious as the chase, after all. He sent more snakes after his target, who finished them with some well-placed shuriken.

"I am impressed at your growth," he continued. "You could learn so much from me, you know. Don't you want more power?"

"I have already made up my mind in that regard," Sasuke shot back, not slowing down in the slightest, "and there's no way I'm giving you another boy-toy."

"Why Sasuke-kun, you wound me so," Orochimaru chuckled. Feeling the game was reaching his conclusion, he easily caught up to his prey and began to extend his neck – only to be interrupted yet again.

"Leave him alone, you freak!" Naruto shouted, assaulting him with kage bunshin and some fireballs from the Hosenka no Jutsu. The snake narrowed his eyes at the interference; it was time to end this. He easily ended the clones that went after him, even as he jumped back to prepare a summoning. Biting his fingers swiftly, he flew through the necessary hand seals and slammed his hand down on the bark of the branch he had landed on. The snake that appeared was _massive._

"Deal with the jinchuuriki," he commanded. The snake rushed at Naruto, who was caught off guard. It proceeded to simply swallow him whole, branch and all, and saunter off into the forest.

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted; she turned to Orochimaru, growling, and breathed life into her own fireballs. Dodging subconsciously, he stalked towards the two remaining genin, who had been pushed up against a tree trunk and were clearly running out of options.

Inside the giant serpent's mouth, Naruto was having the time of his life throwing all his jutsu and weaponry around, to no avail. He simply did not have enough high-powered jutsu to blast his way through the damn thing, and the creature was responding remarkably well to shadow clone beatings. If he didn't figure something out soon, he would be swallowed, and that stupid pedophile would succeed in doing whatever to his best friend, and just _possibly_ the girl he kinda liked!

_Think, think!_ He commanded his brain, but nothing he tried worked. As time passed, he grew more and more desperate – they were out there, possibly suffering or worse, and he was stuck in a fucking snake's mouth. No, _no_, that was not okay! He had people to rescue, things to do, a life to live! None of that couldn't happen if he was digested. He could not become Hokage in a reptile's stomach. And what kind of person would he be if he couldn't protect his team, which had only recently actually gotten its shit together? What kind of friend would that make him? Would he have to go up to Sakura's parents, up to his sensei and up to Iruka and up to the old Hokage and tell them he had _failed?_

His vision swam in front of him. He pictured Sasuke, a strange mark on his neck. Sasuke, going off with that creep. Sakura crying – never the same, never as vibrant and callous and _alive_. He pictured he and Sasuke, no hitai-ate around his friend's forehead, fighting, always fighting, never laughing. Sasuke, consumed in his darkness that he almost succeeded in fixing and solving.

Sasuke, dying.

_No,_ he mentally screamed. The fox was silent to his rage, his grief, his hopelessness. _No, no, nonononono!_

His eyes flew open.

_**No.**_

In that instant, the snake holding him simply ceased to exist.

Orochimaru was not expecting the hurricane-force winds.

In an instant, he had gone from relishing in his success, creeping ever-so-closer to his prey, to being flung back against his will like a leaf in the wind. The trees shook, the branches quaked. Sasuke and Sakura had not retained their footing and had dropped to the forest floor, gone. In their place was a figure, its form shimmering in and out of existence, like it couldn't make up its mind as to what realm it wished to remain in. The air, without warning, was sucked away, rushing inwards to circle in that nefarious, unholy spot; only vacuum remained in the absence, and Orochimaru suddenly found himself struggling for breath. Fortunately for him, as quickly as it was gone, it existed once more. He took in a gulp of air, relishing the coolness that sated his burning lungs.

The flickering continued; the accursed thing had not moved from its spot.

"Who are you!" Orochimaru demanded, more than a little upset at having his victory stolen from right under his nose.

It was here that the thing took a step forward; it was also here that Orochimaru noticed the scimitars in its hands. The winds had grown even more violent.

The voice was that of ten thousand angels.

"_I am your judge, jury, and executioner."_

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**It really is great to be back. I've missed you guys; no excuses, really. I've been doing stuff. Also been helping beta my broski swagosaurus's grand fic. If you haven't read it, what in the hell are you doing? Go! It's just been updated!**

**I'm breathing new life into all of my works. See you guys soon, hopefully (I know I say that a lot).**

**~FicsRLulz**


	10. Arc 2 Chapter 2: Wings of Death

**This chapter has brought the rating up to M. It probably wasn't needed, but I don't want to take chances. And it's not like it'll get any milder.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, Edo Tensei wouldn't exist. (Although 525 was pretty damn badass.)**

* * *

"_Over time, I felt new power coursing through my veins. Those emotions of grief and terror soon morphed into something more; something appalling."_

_**Purge**_

_Wings of Death_

_Crack. Snap._

Those were the sounds that echoed through the Forest of Death as Orochimaru was propelled through tree after tree. He had been launched like a rocket after his enemy's initial blast of scalding hot air; his throat burned after he made the mistake of inhaling some of it. The good news was that he had chakra coating his entire body, so the damage he sustained was minimal. The bad news was that the thing chasing him was faster than he was, even when chakra fueled his muscles. He was seriously considering the possibility of teleportation.

Righting himself in midair, the snake planted his legs onto the next tree in his path and launched himself into the forest with a powerful push. The problem with this entire situation was that his enemy wasn't corporeal, or at least he didn't think it was; the kunai he had thrown earlier had passed right through it. All of its attacks seemed to have the wind element incorporated on some level, as well.

His thought process was conveniently interrupted as the being appeared right in front of him, slashing through his clothes with the scimitars. The only thing that had prevented his being bisected were his reflexes – he had twisted in midair right in time, so the sword had only lightly cut across his abdominals.

Orochimaru frowned; it could hit him, but he couldn't return the favor. Wonderful.

He realized he needed to make room, lest the thing pursue him right out of the forest and into the waiting maw that was the Leaf Village. He turned around in midair and flew through hand seals. Fire beat wind, after all.

"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!"

The large fireball flew into the still shimmering being, exploding on contact. Orochimaru allowed himself a grim smirk of satisfaction; a grin which was promptly erased as the thing materialized right in his face _again._

This time, instead of a sword slash, he was blown through the forest by another blast of superheated air. He allowed the momentum to carry him into the forest floor, where he rolled onto his feet and took off again. He pulsed his chakra, signaling for Oto-nin assistance. Help came, though, in the form of the Oto genin squad.

"What is your wish, Orochimaru-sama?" Dosu asked respectfully. Orochimaru frowned – if he was having a difficult time, the genin squad would be absolutely crushed, cream of the crop or not. He disregarded those thoughts, though; if he needed to sacrifice the children to make his escape, so be it.

"Distract the being chasing me while I find some way to counter its abilities."

"As you command," the lead genin replied.

He and his squad turned around immediately; Dosu rang his Melody Arm while Zaku fired off a Decapitating Airwave. Kin has let loose with some senbon needles, bells attached. The ringing made their enemy waver, but the blast of air and the projectiles did absolutely nothing. Dosu turned to check up on their leader, but the Sannin member had already vanished. He attempted to refocus on their enemy; the result was him being launched into the forest by a much powerful burst of air. He felt one of his legs crack as he landed awkwardly a good distance away from his teammates, who had also been blasted in different directions.

Dosu felt panic rising in his throat, but crushed it instantly. He attempted to stand up, but that plan backfired as pain lanced up his left leg and into his hip. He fell against the forest floor once more.

That was when the screams began.

* * *

Zaku had been eager to test his mettle against this new foe; maybe this one could actually stand against his Decapitating Airwaves, although he highly doubted it. He was incredibly powerful, already chuunin level, in fact! None of these fools could touch him! He and his teammates would go all the way to the top, and prove to their leader that they had what it took to stand by him in the top echelons of Otogakure.

At least, he had been confident before.

He ran through the forest, throwing everything in his playbook at the apparition after him. The thing was like a ghost – it took no damage. All of Zaku's attacks had phased through the thing, and he was starting to get nervous. How was he supposed to prove himself if he couldn't bring it down?

He let loose a yelp of pain as the wind blasted into his back, sending him careening face-first into a tree trunk. The genin pushed himself up quickly and continued running.

It continued like this for another five minutes. Zaku was panting now, a result of sprinting for too long. The wind whipped by his ears; it only reminded him of the monster chasing him. He spared a glance over his shoulder.

"Gah!"

How long had it been that close to him? Was it just toying with him?

"D-Die!" he stammered, hurling more kunai in its direction. The results stayed the same – it hadn't even bothered to dodge or block. He could feel its eyes on him, even as its form wavered.

"_Your existence."_

"My w-what?" Sweat rolled down his forehead. It could talk too – maybe it would spare him if he showed his worthiness?

"Wait a minute, buddy! We can talk this out, right? What do you want to know – the invasion plans! Yeah!"

He lost his balance, but it was not his fault. Pain wracked his entire body as he fell onto his ass. He looked through shocked eyes at the blood staining the forest floor. His blood. His _blood._ Zaku followed the trail to the source of his torment. His leg – he could see his own bones and muscles and _blood!_

"Ah! Wh-wha..!"

More pain. He saw red; he felt his nerves in his shoulders go haywire, frying themselves from the agony. Suddenly he was off the ground. He looked into the face of his reaper – the face of the immortal and the everlasting, Death incarnate – and he screamed.

"_Your existence, child. Prove to me your existence."_

* * *

Kin ran. She had heard the inhuman screams, felt the bloodshed all around her. It was too much – it was all too much! And so she ran through the forest, eager to get away from the monster and Otogakure and the Chuunin Exams.

She practically flew into the clearing, thinking herself home free. Alas, it was not to meant to be. The blood was here too, as well as another genin squad; it was the Suna children, the Jinchuuriki and his siblings. The crimson fluid was all around them, but no bodies. Apparently there had been an execution. They looked at her in apathetic curiosity, noting the way she sweated and the wideness of her eyes. Gaara licked his lips. Kin shivered.

"H-hey, you guys! You gotta get out of here, quick! It's not safe!"

The siblings just looked at her; she was an irritant, she realized. They thought she was off her rocker. She steeled her resolve. It was of the utmost importance, both for the invasion and as a fellow human being, to convince them to _run._

"I'm s-serious! There's something coming, something even you won't-"

The searing rolled through her back, cutting off her words. It was as she fell backwards, absently noting the mild shock on the Suna genins' faces and the growing dark around her vision, that she finally heard the heavenly echo.

"_Your existence, child."_

Temari and Kankuro took a hesitant step back. Gaara, though, was curious. At first they couldn't see what had spilled the Oto girl's entrails all over the ground, but as her bisected top half fell backwards, they could make out the figure. It fluctuated in place, its form never fully coalescing. They made out a head, which was looking down into Kin's unseeing eyes, but it soon appeared to grow bored and glanced up at the siblings. Its indistinguishable face soon locked onto Gaara.

Gaara felt an unsettling lump in his stomach. It was a strange, new feeling. Was this what they called nervousness? He felt Mother shift in his mind.

The being cocked its head, like a curious little puppy, and the Shukaku started howling.

"**Run, child! Do not let it near us! Do not let it near _me!_"**

Gaara squinted in confusion. _Mother?_

"**Are you deaf, boy?! Go! NOW! BEFORE IT GETS CLOSER!"**

The Jinchuuriki of the Ichibi watched as the thing put its right foot forward, and instead of a step, simply appeared a few feet closer to them. The wavering never ceased. The lump previously resting in his stomach now lodged itself in Gaara's throat. It was then that he made up his mind.

"Temari, Kankuro," he hissed, "we're leaving." His siblings were already starting towards the trees.

They disappeared, running through the forest at max speed. They didn't rest until they were a good three miles away from the clearing, and noted with relief that it hadn't followed them.

* * *

"What was that thing?"

"I don't know and I'm not sure I want to find out. We need to keep moving."

Sasuke and Sakura raced through the forest, searching valiantly for their third teammate. They felt incomplete without their boisterous blonde; it was a result of the teamwork training Kakashi had put them through. They felt like an incomplete jigsaw puzzle if they weren't all together. They were lucky that the powerful winds had knocked them to the forest floor; it was easy enough to break their descent, and Orochimaru's attention had been focused on the new arrival, whatever it was. The situation had been win-win. Now all they had to do was find Naruto.

"I wish I had the Byakugan," Sakura lamented; Sasuke silently agreed. They both knew how massive Naruto's chakra reserves were – he would've been a beacon to chakra-seeing eyes. As it were, they had to make due with Sasuke's Sharingan and Sakura's normal eyesight and chakra sensing capabilities. It was no easy task, even as they headed in the direction of the giant snake.

They continued to hear the sounds of battle between Orochimaru and his foe, but they grew distant as Team 7 put more ground between them.

The snake had apparently slithered quite far. The genin hoped Naruto had managed to get out before he was swallowed, but they both individually shook off that thought whenever it entered their minds. It wouldn't do to get all negative. If anyone could make it out, it was Naruto.

Sasuke leapt to a new branch, but felt his weight give out. The tree limb collapsed and he fell to the forest floor.

"Sasuke!" his teammate called out.

"I'm fine, Sakura," he returned.

She landed next to him, but he paid her no attention. His sole focus was on the snapped tree branch – it was charred black. All of the trees in this area were.

"Did someone get careless with fire jutsu?" he wondered aloud.

"I don't think so," Sakura replied. "Look at the trunks. They're all burned only on one side. It looks more like something... exploded."

It was easy enough to find the focal point of the explosion once they noted that fact. The burned corpse of the giant snake was twisted on the floor – it was barely recognizable. It looked to have been burst open from the inside. Lying on the skin, a little crispy but otherwise unharmed, was their third teammate.

"Naruto!" they both chorused, already on the move. He appeared to be unconscious, but they noticed him taking big breaths and weren't worried. Sasuke approached him. As he reached out to grab his shoulder, though, he suddenly found his hand repulsed.

"What the...?"

He tried again, but it was the same result. When his hand got close to Naruto's body, a furious wind forced it back. They both frowned and looked at each other.

"I obviously don't want to try a fire jutsu to cut through it. That would just be stupid," Sasuke spoke.

Sakura nodded. "Try forcing through it with a kunai. It doesn't look like it would stand up to a sharpened object."

Fishing through his holster, Sasuke retrieved the tool. He twirled it into a reverse grip and then thrust it into the shield of wind, being careful that his angle of attack wouldn't end up with him stabbing his comrade. The wind held for a good five seconds, but eventually the concentrated piercing power of the kunai won out, and Sasuke was through. The wind enveloped his arm up until he made contact with Naruto's shoulder; as he grabbed the blonde, the wind dissipated spontaneously, almost as if it was never there in the first place.

"Dobe! Hey, Naruto!" Sasuke half-shouted, shaking his teammate. There wasn't a response.

"Hold on Sasuke, let me try something," Sakura spoke up. She searched through her backpack before pulling out a canteen of water. It was her only one; Sasuke frowned when he realized how much she would be wasting.

"It's alright," she placated, "I can always refill it at the stream, and I'm not thirsty as it is. Worst case scenario, I can take a quick sip from either your's or Naruto's."

At his reluctant nod, she unscrewed the cap and dumped the water onto Naruto's face. He sputtered after a moment and his eyes fluttered open.

"Ugh, my head," he groaned. "What hap – whoaaaa! Did I do that?"

Sakura shrugged. "Apparently."

Naruto's grin was very telling, but also quite tired. "I'm such a badass."

"Don't get cocky," Sasuke scolded. "I don't know what you did, but we can talk about it later. Can you move? We need to get to the tower and tell them about Orochimaru."

"Yeah, I think I'm good," Naruto replied, stretching after he wobbly got to his feet. After exchanging a nod with his fellow genin, they all took off into the forest.

The smell of blood permeated that charred portion of the forest. If they had stayed a moment longer, they would've heard the wind winding through the blackened trees, echoes of disturbing laughter in the air.

* * *

Dosu had been drifting in and out for a while now. Apparently he had hit the ground harder than he had initially thought, because after quickly analyzing his leg, his head had started _throbbing._ Right as he realized it was a concussion, the black had consumed him. Since then he had been awoken at random intervals, although it couldn't really be called true consciousness, as all sound had been muffled and his vision had swam. He considered himself both lucky and unlucky that he hadn't been found. If it was a Suna squad, he'd thank both Kami and the Log a million times over. Anyone else? Well, that would be risky.

He tried to inch backwards to find something to prop himself against. He had heard more screams radiating through the forest and had deduced that the monster had found another victim. Miraculously, he had been ignored, or so he hoped. There wasn't really anything he could do to defend himself, after all. His ninjutsu and genjutsu were admittedly poor at best, and his taijutsu wasn't much better. He had relied on his Melody Arm to the point where it became a crutch.

Dosu hissed in pain as his broken leg was dragged over a rock, not bothering to suppress it. At this point he really didn't care whether he was found or not. It was either hopefully receive medical attention, or stay in the forest until either he was eaten or the brain swelling killed him.

"Who the hell are you?"

Well, shit.

Dosu groaned as he cracked open his uncovered eye. Standing over him, alert and ready, were a trio of Konoha-nin. They were looking at him curiously and with just a hint of pity. That eye widened when he noticed the face of one Uchiha Sasuke.

_Dammit, dammit, dammit. Okay, stay calm. They don't know. They might not have even run into him yet._

"I am Kinuta Dosu. My squad was ambushed and I was separated from them after being hit by a jutsu. I broke my left leg and suffered a concussion during the fall. I don't know what happened to my teammates."

He watched as their eyes moved to his Oto hitai-ate, and for a split second panic and paranoia overcame him. _Do they know?_ But his fears were alleviated when they didn't speak up after noting his affiliation. They all shared a quick, unspoken glance. A part of Dosu wished for that sense of comradery with his own teammates, but it was quickly stomped. That kind of thinking was not welcome in Otogakure.

"We do not require a scroll, but we were heading to the tower. We can bring you with us so you can receive medical attention. Your team will not pass, obviously, but it is better than eventually dying out here." While Sasuke was talking, he and Naruto had moved to Dosu's sides, each supporting a shoulder so he could stay off his wounding leg. Sakura had kept her eyes on the trees, watching for potential hostiles that might take advantage of the situation.

"Thank you for your help, Uchiha Sasuke," Dosu said. He instantly realized his mistake, but by then it was too late. The supporting arms had become vice-like.

"How do you know his name," Naruto ordered warily. It wasn't a question.

Dosu had always been a logical and intelligent person. While he was definitely not on the level of a Nara, he could nonetheless sufficiently analyze a situation and come up with multiple ways to solve it, with varying levels of success. It was here that he had a decision to make – he had run the mental calculations, and had thrown out the responses that would not have at least a seventy-five percent chance of saving his own life. The only remaining task was to decide which one to use.

He had come to a conclusion: Orochimaru had thrown his team away. They were pawns, meant to distract the enemy that could challenge their leader himself, while he made his grand escape with his tail between his legs. At least one of his teammates was most likely dead, and the other was unaccounted for. It was only a stroke of luck that Dosu had not met the same fate.

By all accounts, the young Oto-nin could have easily given a response that was perfectly reasonable and that would have explained his knowing of Uchiha Sasuke without revealing so much as a vowel. But he was a man that valued his life, and he was a man that held grudges.

And so, Kinuta Dosu gave a response that would alter the very course of history itself.

"I have information about Orochimaru and a plot against your village. I will exchange said information for sufficient medical attention."

And they were off, bounding towards the tower at top speed.


End file.
